A Whisper, Darkly
by Chibi-no-oneesan
Summary: Monsters called Whispers are killing the wishers and wished away children. Sarah and Jareth must work in tandem in order to destroy the creatures that are seeping into her world, but can Sarah deal with the dangers untold and her own hormones?
1. Prologue

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

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Prologue

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This just wasn't fair. Why did he always have to stay and take care of this stupid brat, the boy wondered, pushing his dark hair back from his brown eyes. He could hear the child screaming about something or another, and it was distracting him from his homework. Again.

With an angry sigh, the teen stood, his hands hitting the top of the desk with a hard slap. It might not bother him so much if it wasn't every weekend. He might not care if he didn't have a final the next day. However, something in the boy snapped just a bit, and he stormed towards the toddler's nursery, and his hand slapped against the door, sending it slamming open. "Dammit, Brent! Can't you be quiet for an _hour_?!"

Those blue eyes stared up at him, watery, snot dribbling down a young nose. The boy's own dark hair was longer, curly, hanging messily around his head. "But gobbins are unda my bed..." he whispered, eyes wide and frightened. "They make horrible gurbly noise, Niki...I'm scared..."

Nicholas sighed at his brother's nickname for him. "You've never been scared of the goblins before, kiddo. What's changed today?"

That face wrinkled up and went scrunched. "I think something hurt them..." He grabbed the older boy's hand, pulling him in. "Check! Make sure the gobbins okay!"

Nicholas rolled his eyes, letting his younger brother pull him towards the bed, and he lifted up the blanket. "Hey! Goblins! You guys alright down the-" Suddenly, he realized he was being completely ridiculous and pulled his head out, shaking it. "There's nothing under there, Brent. I promise. Just...get in bed and go to sleep."

"Can't I sleep with you?"

"No, I have to study. I've got a really important test in the morning and-"

The power flickered and went off. "DAMMIT," he swore viciously. The darkness sent the younger boy into another screaming fit. "Goblins, if you're there, I wish you'd take Brent away..." he muttered under his breath, reaching out and pulling a flashlight from beside the bed. He flicked on the light and noticed that suddenly the room was oddly quiet except for a faint gurgling noise.

Slowly, Nicholas turned around, that stream of light casting a glow around the room. Something damp dripped down, and he felt bile rise in his throat, as he tried to understand what he was seeing. Wide, innocent blue eyes staring up at him. Soft, rosy lips parted, red liquid bubbling from between them. A gruesomely shaped hand spearing through the boy's chest. "_Brent_," he screamed, as the hand ripped sideways through that small body, tearing a hole in it.

The boy dropped soundlessly to the floor. The last thing Nicholas saw were those lifeless blue eyes staring up at him.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: Yeah, the opening is a little graphic. I did try to warn everyone that this is horror. Sarah will make her appearance in Chapter one. I'll hopefully have that posted relatively soon..._


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter One

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She would never get used to these kind of crime scene's, she decided, stepping into the dimly lit room, looking around at what had once been a bright eyed five year old and his older brother. The scene was violent enough, without having to look down into open blue eyes that reminded her quite a bit of her own younger brother. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that Toby was no longer a infant or toddler, or even a child. He was now a twenty one year old man.

"Are you alright Williams?"

The gruff voice caused her to give a half-hearted smile. "Well enough, Samuels." It was a lie. This was the third crime scene identical to this in as many months, and now the whispers of serial killer were going around. There were no leads. The houses were always locked up tight, no broken windows, no jimmied locks, nothing. There were no signs of an intruder save those two mangled bodies, always in the younger child's room. Nothing was ever missing, save two lives which should have had much more time in this world.

Sarah pulled out a pair of gloves, pulling them on before going to inspect the deceased. That's when Sarah heard a noise that caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. She knelt beside the two bodies, verifying that they were both, in fact, deceased, and her assistant began bagging the two bodies.

From where she knelt, she could just see beneath the coverlet, and her eyes caught sight of something moving, and heard a voice, scratchy and weak. "The Lady...The champion...Labyrinth conqueror..."

Her throat closed and she glanced towards the bed, her eyes picking out some strange liquid beneath there as well. It sounded like whatever was speaking to her was muffled by something, but what that might be, she wasn't certain. She lifted her gaze to the police. They weren't paying a lot of attention, so she gave the barest nod. "Who did this..." she breathed, both a question and an order.

"A whisper..." the voice said, then there was a soft gurgling and she recognized the sound of a death rattle. She squeezed her eyes shut, deciding that she'd just have to come back to the house after everyone else cleared out, in order to ascertain what exactly happened here. She stood, walking out of the room as the two gurneys rolled away. Stepping outside, she was blinded by camera flashes, deafened by queries about the serial killer. Not far away, she heard a sobbing woman and glanced in their direction, seeing an older man embracing her, his own expression twisted into one of anguish.

She tore off her rubber gloves, walking outside of the crime scene and threw them into a biologicals bag in the 'meat wagon' as the driver called it. She climbed into her car, sitting there, staring at the wheel. Her hands were actually shaking. Whatever had been beneath the bed knew her. Knew who she was, who she'd once been. A goblin, she wondered. Or some other denizen of the Labyrinth?

Why had the goblins been there, anyways? There was only one real question for that one. They were they to pick up a wished away child. That knowledge caused a sharp twist in her stomach and she started her car, heading towards the coroner's office, letting the police and crime scene investigators do their jobs before she went back to finish her own.

She arrived at her office and sat in her office, troubled. So what had happened between the first impression that a child would be wished away and the final moment when the children and goblins were slaughtered? Had the Goblin King...

She stopped that thought before it went anywhere. She didn't want to think that he'd been there, that he'd been any way related to that. For one thing, it would be impossible to explain and would not be held as any real evidence. She'd be ousted from her rather comfortable position as city corner, and her life would be thrown into chaos. For a moment, she entertained a mental picture of trying to explain the existence of goblins and their king in court and followed that up promptly with her being led away in a straitjacket.

She sighed softly, leaning her head back against the rest, staring out of the window. She should, by all rights, go in and get started on those two young people, but first...

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed another number. It rang three times, and then a sleepy voice answered. "Joe's pool hall, Eight Ball speaking..."

A small smile turned up her lips and she answered. "Oh, good, then I dialed the right number."

There was a snort on the other end, and it was followed up by an answer. "Hi Sarah. Why're ya calling at..." an obvious pause while he shifted to view his clock. "Three forty five in the morning?"

"I just...wanted to make sure you were alright," she said, looking at where one hand still gripped the steering wheel.

There was a long pause on the other end. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She considered it for a long moment, then shook her head. "No. I feel better now. Sorry I woke you up, Toby."

"A'right...I'm gonna go back to sleep...Night Sarah."

"Goodnight..." she murmured as the dial tone sounded in her ear. She flipped the phone closed and stared out the window as rain slowly began to fall, causing beads that refracted the light.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It was with a gusty sigh that Sarah pulled off her shoes after walking into the foyer of her modest house. "I'm home..." she called to no one, and smiled dimly when there was no answer. Shaking her head, she shrugged out of her jacket and rubbed her eyes. The clock on the kitchen counter read eight thirty a.m. and she moaned, rubbing her neck. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" She moved into her living room, finding him curled up on the couch.

As she entered, the cat cracked one eye and upon seeing that it was her, it settled back down, returning to his perpetually sleepy state. She gave the cat a half-hearted glare and huffed, moving farther into the house, pausing only to refill his food dish, and drop a pinch of food into the fish bowl before heading back into her bedroom, where she stripped out of her t-shirt and jeans, flopping down on her bed, her head aching.

A deep sigh escaped her and she wondered if there was even a remote possibility that the Goblin King had seen the murderer. She scrubbed her face with her hands and pondered calling him and asking him. Such things could be tricky, as she well knew. Dabbling with things one did not necessarily understand well could end up with one running through a Labyrinth as well as any other tricky spots.

The knowledge of who and what he was made conjuring him almost safe, except dealing with other worldly beings was never really safe. She reached down, fingering the corded necklace around her throat and eyed it's red, white and black threads, and the nine, evenly spaced knots. She heaved another sigh and sat up, glancing towards her closet. "Either do it or don't do it, Williams. Make a damn decision," she muttered to herself, still wavering between calling him or not.

If she was going to do it, she was going to be smart about it. She hadn't seen the man since she was fifteen, back when she'd spoken those six words which had sent her life on a much different path. He couldn't have been too pleased with losing to a fifteen year old girl, and a mortal to boot. If she simply called and wasn't prepared for the worst, he could easily take her to pieces before she could get to any of her protective measures. She stood, moving towards her closet, pulling out her full ceremonial robe. She handled it for a long moment, glancing towards her clock. She hung it up on the closet and stared at it.

No. She didn't know enough now. There were other things she had to do.

She took a deep breath, shaking her head. There was no guarantee that there were even goblins in that room. She might have just been hearing things. Jumping at the proverbial shadows. She closed her eyes and centered herself before walking towards her windows, drawing the blackout curtains and then collapsed down on her bed, pulled a thin blanket over herself and went straight to sleep.

Her dreams were dark, disturbed.

The room was dark, but she could recognize it as her baby brother's dorm room. It was still, quiet. _Wrong_.

Blue eyes stared up at her, a face framed by disheveled blond hair. His face was pale, waxen and bright red blood bubbled up between his lips. A gurgling sound left him as his chest rose and fell one last time. Then, as she watched, a grotesque hand tore her brother's chest open.

"TOBY!" she screamed, even as she reached forward, trying to catch the boy as he fell forward, blood and gore trailing out of him as the hand was pulled back through the gaping hole. She lifted her face, trying to see the menace hiding in the darkness, but there was nothing. Then, she felt something hot, moist caress her face and a hand, still wet with blood, wrapped almost lovingly around her neck.

Sarah woke, drenched with sweat, gasping for breath, staring up at her dark ceiling. Immediately, her hand scrambled to her cell phone, pulling it in front of her and flipping it open. It was already after one. She scrolled through the call list to her brother's name and immediately dialed it once again.

It rang twice and she was about to hang up and redial when it was answered. "House of God, Moses speaking."

She gave a watery, relieved laugh and her head flopped back to her pillow. She pressed her hand to her forehead and before she could stop herself, began crying.

There was a sharp swear on the line and then her brother began speaking quickly. "Sarah?! Sarah, what's wrong?! Are you okay?"

She took a few gasping breaths and forced herself to answer. "Night...mare...well, daymare I suppose. I'm sorry..."

There was a long silence. "A kid died, didn't they."

She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Two phone calls in less than twelve hours. Nightmares. I hate to say it, sis, but you're ridiculously predictable. No channeling the dead this time, okay? Last time I thought we were going to have to call an exorcist."

She huffed, laughing a little. "It wasn't _that_ bad..." she muttered. Well, in reality, it was close to that bad. Her body didn't handle the whole thing very well, and it had been her first time. The child in question hadn't been quite ready to pass on yet and made her go through hell to get rid of it once it was in her, having her fulfill his final wishes, which was actually quite a long list.

Her boyfriend at the time had been so disgusted with the whole situation that he'd walked out on her and she'd decided that from now on, she could live with her family and cat.

"Sarah..." his voice had that patronizing tone it always got when they spoke about this. "Mom and dad were about two seconds from having you Christened. Again."

She gave a laugh. "Thanks, Toby..." she said softly. "I really needed to talk to you."

"So, what case is it?"

She sighed softly. "The 'kiddie killer'." There was a snort from him. "Hey, I don't get to pick what the media calls him. He's a serial whose targets are always children who are home alone with teens. This last one...he looked like you did when you were younger. His hair was dark, but...that tiny face..." she shuddered. "I've done dumb things, but I love you, kid. It's hard enough that I'm looking down at a child's body. Triple that when I'm cutting up one that looks like my brother."

"You knew it was a risk when you became a coroner."

She scratched the top of her head. "Something bothers me about this last scene, too. I...heard something. From under the bed."

"Maybe the murderer was still there..." he gave an intentionally not spooky 'oooo' and then snickered.

"Not that kind of noise. It was a voice. Whoever was speaking knew...things about me that I keep very secret."

There was a long silence on the other end. "About that time?"

Of course he knew. She'd explained what had happened, what she'd done, ages ago. Taking an unsteady breath, she nodded. "Yeah. About that time. You're the _only_ person I've told about that, Toby. Because you had the right to know. I think...I think it was a goblin."

Toby went quiet. He'd never believed like her, but he didn't mock her beliefs. For that, she was thankful. "Are you sure?"

"No. I could have sworn I'd heard it, but it could have been my brain trying to put something not human with a crime that seems inhuman. I'll let you know when I figure it out."

"So now what?"

She sighed heavily. "I'm going to commit a little B&E and find out if it was my imagination or if I've got bigger problems that simply dying children."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

The Goblin King was not a happy camper. In recent months, the number of summons had sky-rocketed, however, by the time he reached the children, he found nothing but blood and death and pain which had soaked into the room and could not be wiped away. Currently, he stood in such a room, in one of the few spots on the carpet not soaked with blood.

A wave of his hand sent the bed sliding away from where it had rested and he found what he'd always found and it caused discomfort to ripple through him. Several massacred goblins. He closed his eyes tightly, sending the bed sliding back into place. It looked as though his fear had been realized.

He knelt down, resting his hand on the carpet, then pulled out a crystal, drawing the history from the room and replaying it in the crystal. "A whisper..." he murmured, closing his eyes.

At the sound of feet on stairs, his mismatched eyes snapped open, swiveling towards the door. It mattered not if someone opened the door and was over the age of twelve. Puberty changed one's way of seeing, usually rendering the person incapable of perceiving creatures from the other worlds. He slipped back into the shadows, regardless, as the doorknob began to turn.

The door opened fully, and there came a soft, feminine whisper. "Forgive me for trespassing on this place of sorrow..." and then a woman stepped into the poorly lit bedroom. Her hair was long, dark, her skin pale. His sharp eyes could pick out freckles splashing her cheeks. Her lips were softly parted and her large moss green eyes caused shock to flash through him.

_Sarah_.

Her slender frame was wrapped in black, down to the leather gloves on her hands. He watched as she stepped further within the room before digging into a decent sized black bag on her shoulder, pulling out a flashlight. She gave it two hard shakes and flipped it on and he found himself illuminated.

He had a half-second to register the shock on her face before he disappeared, showering the room in glitter. When he reappeared, he was in his own office, a hand covering his mouth.

She'd seen him.

She'd looked wonderful.

Still such cruel eyes.

Her figure had grown lovely.

She was no longer a child-

That particular acknowledgement sent a surge of repressed desire and longing through him. He took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes tightly. Before he could dwell too long on her, however, another thought came to his mind. "What on earth was she doing in that room?"

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: Everyone, take note, Jareth is in shock. Anyways, Sarah and Jareth will have a proper conversation next chapter, probably preceded by Sarah declaring war on our evil monsters in the worst way possible. Either way it should be entertaining. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. It could use some work (admittedly), and I'll try._


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

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Chapter Two

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The flashlight fell from numb fingers.

Sarah felt her knees start to buckle from shock and forced herself to breath. It took a moment before her knees stopped feeling like Jello. She set a hand down on the bedside table to stabilize herself, her brain already racing to put together what she'd just seen.

Startled mismatched eyes, brows that traveled over them and then up, disappearing beneath wild blond bangs. Thin lips, and a long, slightly hooked nose. That face had been so shocked for that split second he'd still stood there, before he'd disappeared in a shower of glitter.

The Goblin King.

There was a strange ache in her chest, something that had always bothered her when thoughts of the man cropped up and she'd always put off as acid indigestion or her imagination. Shrugging off the lingering sensation, she moved towards the bed, lifting the covers, aiming her light beneath. She dropped the edge of the blanket, falling backwards onto her backside, her throat closing.

The scene around the room was bad enough without taking into consideration what lay beneath the bed. If she went back to other rooms, to other crimes, would she also find the dessicated corpses of goblins beneath the bed, in the closet, in dark, shadowed corners?

Dear gods, what on earth did this?!

Closing her eyes tightly, Sarah stood, leaving the bedroom and it's crushing sorrows. She made a mental note to learn the families religion and see about getting a priest to bless the room, to try to ease the now oppressive atmosphere. She'd do her own best from outside the house. She walked down the stairs and out the front door, dipping below the police line. Then, turning around, she looked up at that room.

A shiver worked through her. There was something there. Something watching her from the shadows with a malicious intent. Her throat closed and she felt panic start to grip her. She took several deep, cleansing breaths, realizing after a moment that she could do nothing. Whatever was watching her was lying in wait for her to draw on power, and then she had a nagging feeling that it would strike without second thought.

A hand reached up and gripped the cord at her neck and she whispered a quiet pray to the goddess, nothing more than a simple request for protection for a faithful servant and her family.

Then, Sarah walked to her car.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It had been a long time since Sarah had done a full cleansing of her home. As always, she began by purifying and cleansing herself, putting on several of her favorite protective amulets. She walked the boundaries, laying a fresh layer of sea salt along the edges of her house, walked through the halls with smudging sticks, trying to impart feelings off peace and serenity. She gave her wards a little extra oomph, and began setting up her altar.

Usually, she got away with the bare minimum, but after last night, she couldn't justify doing that. So she set up everything. There was a sword she'd been given when she used to attend the Renn-faire. Also were more personal gifts, like a crystal wand Toby had given her, a shell bowl that Karen had thought was pretty. A bronze goblet that had, ironically, goblins around the base which had been a gift from her father.

A shudder worked through her as she completed setting up that altar. Water in the cup, salt in the bowl. One candle burning, and the remains of the smudge stick acting as incense. With chalk and then salt, she drew a pentacle on the floor, then took a deep breath.

She invoked the four elements, then the goddess, as well as any protective gods she knew of, hoping that all of this would be enough for what she was about to do what she wanted to do.

The entire cleansing had taken two days from when she'd seen the Goblin King at the crime scene. He had to know something. His ability to turn back time had to have told him something that the mortals in her world didn't know. With any luck, this would keep him contained at least until she could get the answers she needed.

"I wish the Goblin King were here. Right now."

The power flickered off, leaving her living room illuminated only by the pillar candles standing everywhere. She expected something similar to the first time, a shower of glitter followed by the man appearing in the center of the circle with some bad jokes, a mocking expression, and really tight pants.

What she got was completely different.

Something black that seemed to swallow the light that hit it – rather than reflecting it – appeared with a puff of black mist within the circle. It didn't stay stationary, the..._thing_ lunged towards her, hitting the barrier caused by the salt and chalk and then rebounded back to the center.

The knowledge that it was trapped didn't soothe her. She let out a terrified scream and threw herself backwards, trying to get as far away from the circle and the creature within as she could. It stared at her from two large of shiny black eyes, so shiny she could nearly see her own reflection. Before she could cast the invocation that would send it back wherever this spawn of evil came from, she found herself showered in glitter and a crystal was thrown into her circle, hit the creature in the chest and the creature let out a scream of utter agony.

She twisted around, finding the Goblin King standing over her, his stance almost...protective. He was dressed in a loose white shirt and tight gray wool breeches. To her surprise, his feet were bare. Mismatched eyes flickered towards her. "Get the hell out of here, you damn fool! That thing consumes magic, and it's only a matter of time before it eats through that flimsy little shield you built." She hesitated, her eyes flicking towards the monster that was now pacing the edge of the shield looking enraged and the man snarled in anger. "GET OUT! I'll deal with this!"

It took her a moment to get her feet under her and she bolted to the bedroom. She could hear the monster screaming in pain and rage, as well as the grunts of the man in the other room fighting it. She slammed her bedroom door shut and she leaned back against it, panting for breath.

Fear made her surprisingly lucid and she moved swiftly towards her nightstand, jerking the drawer open. Nestled in a small box within was a .22 that had two pewter pentacles decorating the handle. Beside it was a magazine already loaded with eight very special bullets. She withdrew the small pistol, then the ammo, putting the magazine into it, clearing it, checking it before moving back to the bedroom door.

Goblins under the bed of that small child meant that child had been wished away to the goblins. Just as she'd wished the Goblin King there. Somehow, doing so allowed this creature into your world, and it turned the wisher and the wished away into victims. Nausea rose in her throat and she swallowed it back down.

Upon returning to the living room, she found the Goblin King pacing the edge of the circle, wearing several fresh slices. His eyes were fixed on the monster, and they moved at an even pace around the circle. Sarah remembered what he'd said about this creature consuming magic and her breath left her slowly. The chalk was smeared by shuffling feet, the salt was shifted. There was a break forming along the wall that faced the east. She took a soothing breath, that fear still keeping her in that state of startling clarity. She paced behind them, keeping the creatures back to her as her fear was slowly replaced by rage.

Wide, innocent blue eyes. Lifeless eyes belonging to a boy who'd been a mere five years old. The dead older brother who seemed to have fallen while reaching to protect, to save the younger child. Two lives snuffed out before they'd ever really had a chance to live. There had been so much head of them and one of these creatures had stolen it from them.

A prayer to the gods for protection as she paced along the edge of the circle. She could feel the pulse in the amulets she wore, as though trying to warn her that there was danger. She knew that. Taking a deep breath, she set her foot on the edge of the circle and broke the edge with a sharp movement, then darted forward, jumping onto the creature's back. The monster screamed and reared up as she did so, then let out a sound of pain and rage as she pressed the cold steel business end of her small pistol against the soft part of it's skull. She put her lips near where it's ear would be and spoke to it, not caring if it understood her. "Doesn't feel so nice to be the victim, does it, ass hole."

Then, Sarah Williams unloaded the entire magazine into the monster's skull. It was easy enough with one hand, since it had little recoil. As the first pieced it, it let out a furious scream of pain. Bullets ricocheted inside, not having enough speed to go in one side and out the other, tearing it's insides apart in the process.

She held on during the entire thing, barely hearing an accented voice telling her to let go, to get back. All she could feel were the emotions flooding her. The rage, the pain. That boy could have been _TOBY_, her mind screamed, remembering the blue eyes of that dead child. Not that she'd ever forget those eyes. Those eyes, that face, would stay with her for the rest of her life.

Finally, the monster slumped to the ground and she let it fall from her arms. Hands pulled her away, slow and gentle. Without a word, she turned in those arms, pressing her face into a strong shoulder as an unexpected sob tore it's way out of her throat. The gun fell from her blood covered hand and she fisted both of them into the soft white fabric as she sobbed, unashamed, into the shirt of the Goblin King.

The man went rigid for a short moment, then an arm went slowly around her shoulders, a hand gently stroking her hair. She didn't know, nor did she particularly care, why he was offering her comfort. By all rights, she'd been well and truly convinced that he would be furious with her on sight, would long to wrap his hands around her throat and choke her. Yet, for some reason, he was holding her and whispering soothing phrases in her ear.

A strange, hissing sound met with her ears, drawing her attention. She lifted her head slowly, looking back at what remained of the creature she'd killed. It was disappearing, vanishing, turning into a puff of black smoke which seemed to work it's way up through her ceiling.

"So...this seems like a little too much pomp and circumstance for a simple chat. Although the lengths you go to trap me are rather flattering." She turned upon hearing the faint amusement in his voice. She looked up at his face and found amusement hiding something else in those eyes. Something she'd almost call concern. "Miss me that much, precious?"

She was both shocked and horrified to feel a blush warming her face. Quickly, as though burned, she released him, taking a step back. She noticed dark stains on his shirt and glanced down at her own hands and arms. Her special ceremonial robe had several tears in it and her arms and hands were stained in both her blood and the blood of the creature. A shudder worked through her and her knees nearly gave out.

His hands caught her elbows and she took a steadying breath. "Come along, Sarah, you need to sit-"

"No!" She took a deep breath, pulling away from him. "I can't yet...I have to end the ceremony and clear the circle..." And purify her house again tomorrow to rid it of the negative energies that were now swamping it. She shivered, moving towards her altar, feeling his eyes on her. She thanked the lord and lady, dismissed the spirits of the elements, and opened the circle, then began cleaning up her supplies.

The monotony of the chore kept her mind off of what she was doing. She swept and mopped the area she'd drawn her circle, laying a large round carpet over where the lingering marks were, then tore down her altar, blessing each item before putting it safely away in her altar box. Her limbs were trembling by the time she was done with that, and she removed her robe, finding the long sleeve t-shirt beneath also soaked with blood. A glance towards her guest found his wounds nearly closed, so she decided to take care of her own. Carefully, she scooped up the bullets and pistol which had fallen to the floor after the creature had disappeared and put them safely in a small bowl on her coffee table before retreating to her bedroom.

Closing and locking the door didn't make her feel any more safe. After all, the one she'd summoned hadn't even appeared within the circle she'd cast. Sighing heavily, she stripped out of her shirt and skirt, walking into the bathroom, tossing the soiled clothing into the hamper. She stepped into the shower, turning the water on full blast, anointing herself with sage water that she kept within for that purpose. To be safe, she dabbed her protective amulets as well. For now, those would stay on.

As she washed the blood from herself, she found the wounds on her arms didn't look as bad as they'd been almost an hour ago when they'd first been inflicted. She traced the pale pink lines that criss crossed her forearms and sighed, leaning her head back against the shower wall. A full physical and spiritual cleansing would have to wait until later that night. For now, she had to talk to the one in the other room. The one who might well have already left.

She left the shower, toweling off, before wrapping herself in a fluffy terry cloth robe. She pushed the sleeves up and wrapped herb soaked linen bandages around her forearms, whispering a quick prayer for healing of her general injuries. Then, she moved to her bedroom.

It shouldn't have surprised her to find him standing there, but it did. He was examining her room with a surprising amount of interest and she found it a bit unnerving. She moved towards her dresser, finding comfortable cotton pants and a baggy t-shirt, pulling them out, hiding her underwear in them. She would have been lying to say that there wasn't a thrill of excitement from standing in the same room as the Goblin King wearing naught but a towel.

Her mind was just wandering down those paths that usually they kept well enough off of, when that cultured voice spoke, sending shivers down her spine. "There's a lot of protection in this house."

The approval went almost unnoticed as her mind went to a different kind of protection. She gave him a sharp glance, seeing him eying the top of her bedroom walls, where she'd had a friend paint the runic symbol for protection – Eihwaz – in a border around the room, making a decorative enough pattern. "I like to keep what's mine safe."

His eyes flickered towards her, sweeping over her figure. "As do I."

An uncomfortable flush heated her cheeks and she glanced away. "Would you step out for a moment. I'd like to get dressed..."

"Well, then, don't stop on my account," his voice was light and teasing.

The flush darkened, but so did her face. She hadn't called on him to flirt or tease or anything else that seemed to be on his mind. "Out, Goblin King. My bedroom is not a place for conversation. Especially not with men."

He gave an almost put off expression on his face, then grinned wickedly. "But the most interesting conversations are had within bedrooms behind closed doors. However, if my presence...distracts you, I'll take myself to your kitchen." Once he as gone and the door closed behind him, she huffed, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

She was mentally ranting about his inappropriate statements, almost lewd glances, and the way he'd quite easily undressed her with his eyes, when a thought came to her quite suddenly.

His light banter and easy flirting had wiped the remaining unease from her person and left her annoyed but otherwise fine. She gave a half-hearted huff, glancing towards her now closed door, a faint smile spreading across her lips

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

When the girl finally rejoined him in the living room, he'd already availed himself to her kitchen, preparing two cups of tea. He was just putting them on the coffee table when she came in and he took his time, pretending that his blood wasn't racing because he was seeing her once again.

As she seated herself, he heard a murmured "thanks" and glanced up at her from under his brows as she pulled one cup of tea closer and curled up a bit more on the chair she'd taken. Her own feet were bare as well and he hoped that he didn't look as vulnerable as she did like that. He lifted his own tea, attempting to look dignified even though when he'd heard the call, he'd foregone putting on the full regalia, or even his own shoes.

"So," he said sipping his tea. "I've established that there was too much ceremony for a mere chat. Tell me, Sarah, why you called me?" He played dumb, even though he was relatively certain he knew the knowledge that she sought.

She was quiet for awhile, toying with her teacup, before her gaze lifted to his. "In the past three months, I've been called to three different crime scenes to confirm the deaths and examine the bodies of two young people." There was pain on her face. "There is always one younger child, never more than a toddler, and a teenager, usually a boy."

Her eyes flickered down, as though she couldn't stand to meet his own any longer. "This time, while I was attempting to examine the bodies, I heard a voice from beneath the bed. The voice knew things about me which I do not advertise. It called me the Labyrinth conqueror." She swallowed so hard, he could watch her throat bob. It drew his attention to the pale column of flesh and he wondered idly if it was as soft as it looked. "I decided to go back and see if really was what I thought."

"You believed it to be a goblin." He watched her nod, and rested his chin on his palm. "Go on."

"There's not much more to tell. I went back the next night, found you there. After you made like a very glittery Houdini, I checked under the bed, and found..."

"Several massacred goblins," Jareth said quietly.

She nodded, looking a bit pale. She made a vague gesture. "I left. The atmosphere in the room was pulling me under. I intended to do a ranged blessing, basically just praying to the goddess to bless and protect those who live and died in that house. But there was something there. I couldn't see it, it was like something being out of the corner of your eyes, but when you try to focus..." She shook her head. "Regardless, you were there that night. This..._thing_ that attacked me, it did it after I called you here. If your goblins were there, then that toddler was going to be wished away."

"He already had been when they were finally attacked." He kept his voice cool. "During the past year or so, the number of wished away children have sky rocketed. Sometimes, I get to them first, but lately, those abominations have been besting me."

She took an unsteady breath. "What are they?"

He met her gaze, standing, moving towards her. "They're a whisper in darkness. There is a space that divides the Underground from your own realm. It's often referred to as the Darklands. They're supposed to be trapped there as they're being punished for reeking havoc on the Underground during their last escape. I suppose they believe they're out of line of sight by attacking wished away children. Too bad that you and I both noticed them, isn't it..." He lifted a section of her hair, pondering it for a long moment before he released it.

She shuddered. "When you say they consume magic..."

He took to pacing, unable to really keep still. "That's why I stated they are abominations. They're not...natural, not in any realm that has light. They consume any and all magic. Anything magic. I'm a formidable foe against them, but even I'm not infallible. That one that got through the crack when you called me, ate through your shielding in minutes. Had they reached you..."

She shivered. "Why are they eating humans..." she hesitated for a moment, "Jareth."

He nearly hissed in pleasure when she spoke his name. He forced himself to focus on the question instead and pinned her with a sharp gaze. "Once a child speaks those right words, neither the wished away nor the wisher away is like other humans. Those words are magic, and it triggers the chain of events that will eventually turn both into goblins...or whatever else they decide to become..."

She shivered a bit. "That one I shot is dead isn't it..."

"It's returned to the Darklands..." he agreed.

"Wait...it's dead, but it's body returned?!"

"Became part of it's lands," he corrected. "That smoke you saw was it leaving this realm for good. That one won't be bothering anyone ever again." He kept his voice light, but he could see her drawing conclusions faster than he could pacify her.

"Will the other's know?"

And her fears became truly known. "Yes, I'd imagine so."

She began gasping for breath. "How many children have been wished away, Goblin King?"

He retained his stony expression. "At least thirteen. Five of whom I was able to save. I cut it close one time, and was unable to save the older brother as well."

She gave a fierce shudder. "You mean to tell me...there are at least thirteen of those monstrosities still wandering my world, looking for..." Her breath shortened. "Oh, god...Jareth...does the magic fade?! If it's been a long time since they were taken to the Underground, and if they never really believed, does the magic fade?!"

He looked down at her, seeing her expression near panic. "No, precious. Anyone who is touched by the Underground's magic retains it for the rest of their lives. And the longer they were there, the stronger the magic that binds them becomes."

Her features twisted into full on panic. "Oh, god..._Toby_..."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: So, another chapter gone. As promised, Sarah has declared war on those critters, and wasn't thinking too clearly when she did it. Yay for flirty Goblin Kings. Hope everyone enjoyed. I'm feeling a little 'scatter-thoughted', so keeping my brain on track for this chapter has been interesting. I toyed briefly with a dark and more foreboding GK, but I decided to try to keep this part a little more light-hearted. Anways, here's some shoutouts:_

_Skyrere: Happy you're enjoying it. I've no idea what bog in my mind this came from. It surprised me too._

_artseblis: I hope the story doesn't disappoint you then._

_Neori Eundaria: I always strive to keep my stuff original. I'm happy it piqued your interest, and I hope it doesn't disappoint down the line._

_Dark Angel Millenia: I don't generally read gore/horror unless it's got a heavy dose of some kind of fantasy or pagan feel, which is why all of my own horror genre fiction has that tendency towards witchcraft or demons, and the baddies are almost always a creature that's not human. I'm glad, however, that this story intrigued you enough that you continued reading past the gory prologue ^_^_

_Shiroikami: I'm so happy you like it, and the show down should be interesting. I hope ^_^;_

_Ayjah: As I mentioned above, I'm not a huge fan either (I do love myself a good ghost story, tho). Every now and then, though, I get this weird urge to write something that's not quite so mainstream for me. ^_^_

_Cheeto-ScorpioDiagram: O.O; That's a heck of a scream..._

_Dragonfly2224: I'm glad you like it_

_leannapotter: I'm happy that you enjoyed this story enough to keep reading ^_^; Hope this chapter didn't disappoint._

_Mashdana: I'm glad you like it, and here's your next fix :heart:_

_CarrieCullen9586: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Currently, my favorite part is the prologue (o.o;), I'm glad you think the plot is original, and I hope the story doesn't disappoint you :heart:_

_xEvilAngel56x: I'm glad you like it ^_^_


	4. Chapter 3

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Three

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"Sarah, while I realize and can appreciate that you are worried for your baby brother, don't you think you're – perhaps – overreacting a bit?"

Sarah glared over at the man or magical creature that was sitting on the passenger side of her car, his chin on his palm, looking rather at peace with the world and gave a deep frown. She pretended to ignore him, returning her eyes to the road as she blew through yet another yellow light. She heard an almost amused chuckle from him and shot a scathing look at him from the corner of her eyes. "Wouldn't you be worried if he was your little brother?"

"I've no idea," he said, that calm expression never leaving his face, even as she took a corner at about twenty miles over the recommended speed. "I haven't got one."

She was so surprised at this, she let off the accelerator, stopping at the next light. "What about a sister?"

"Nor one of those." He waved a hand. "Nor a mother, nor a father. I'm afraid for as long as I can remember it's just been myself and those ill-tempered little cretins who call themselves my subjects." He glanced towards her, his lips still in a faint smile. "What's the matter? Do you pity the villain, Sarah?"

A flush raced to her cheeks fueled by equal parts embarrassment and anger. "Pity someone who sent the cleaners after me? Feel bad for someone who nearly tossed me into the Bog of Eternal Stench?! Let's not forget the poisoned peach, your attempted spellbinding, the humongous-"

"Ah, yes. Good times, precious." He flashed her a wicked grin. "You were such a delightfully spoiled brat then. It's a bit good to see things haven't changed too much."

She snarled in anger and frustration and finally pulled into a parking space. "Look, you can either dress like you're not out of a faery tale, or you can stay in the car. Pick one."

He let out a put upon sigh, snapping his fingers, leaving him wearing a long brown trench coat, dark jeans, a v-neck t-shirt, and his wild hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. All of it took about ten seconds. He was even wearing shoes, which, she noticed with something near amusement, were still boots. "Sufficient, my dear?"

She would have been lying if she said a thrill of pleasure hadn't shot up her back at his words, his appearance, the way those jeans fit. She coughed, forcing her eyes away and opened the door on her side of the car. "It'll do," she managed after she managed to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her mouth. Damn him for looking so effortlessly ravishable, and here she was, wearing baggy cotton pajama pants, an over sized t-shirt, with her hair mussy. Damn her for being so worried about her baby brother that she wasn't willing to go for a quick shag in the backseat.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she pocketed her car keys and grabbed her purse, heading towards the house that contained her brother's dorm. She heard the soft tap of shoes following her and glanced back, seeing the Goblin King following her. Her brother would wonder, and if she had her way, things would stay that way. Still...

She gave the man a sharp look as they walked up the front steps and pushed into the dorm. The sound that met her ears caused equal parts dread and thankfulness. Chants of 'chug, Williams, chug' informed her that her dearest little brother had gotten himself into trouble. Again.

She slammed the door open, revealing her brother at a beer bong, doing as requested, chugging the amber liquid with a skill that reminded her of her own college exploits. Once she was certain that the Goblin King had stepped in behind her, she slammed the door with considerable volume. The chants died, and Toby lifted his head. Upon seeing her, he at least had the decency to look dismayed. She didn't speak. She didn't need to. She pointed at him with one finger, then upstairs with the other.

Cat calls went up. "Looks like Williams is gonna get himself some!"

"Hey, Williams, didn't know you liked older girls!"

Toby turned bright red, glared at all of the other's in the room and snarled, "she's my sister, you fucktards."

"Then you mind if I tap that?!"

Sarah felt a hand rest possessively upon her waist and knew without looking who it was. _Jareth_ had sidled up to her side and was doing a territorial display for the world to see. She glared at the Goblin King, then moved toward the stairs. "Upstairs, young man. Right now."

Toby rolled his eyes, storming up the stairs ahead of her. "I'm twenty one, Sarah. I'm _allowed_ to drink, now."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of that. That's not why I'm here, cretin." She herded him up the stairs and held his bedroom door open, allowing the Goblin King to enter before her.

Toby lounged comfortably on his bed, looking at them, his eyes dilated from alcohol. "So what brings you here, Sarah?" His eyes flickered towards Jareth. "This your new boyfriend? It's been awhile."

She scowled. "No," she said, her voice sharper than intended. "He's not my boyfriend, regardless of that little testosterone induced display that went on downstairs. As to why I'm here..." She faltered. Toby had never believed in the monsters that sometimes lurked in the dark.

"It's distinctly possible you could be in a great deal of danger."

She glanced towards Jareth, who was focused on the young man before them.

Toby snorted. "I'm afraid I don't follow. Just what kind of danger am I in?"

"My kind of danger," she finally said. She moved forward, pulling a box out of her pocket. "I know you never...you didn't believe in what I do. You supported me, but you don't believe in goblins, you think that the monster under the bed is just a fanciful story." She set the box on his hand. "But it would make me feel worlds better if you accepted this. Please."

He looked up at her, curious. Then, he turned his attention to the box, cracking the lid. His eyes widened. "Sarah, this is your favorite talisman, I can't-"

"Tobias, I highly recommend you do what your sister says."

His eyes flickered towards the man. "Who are you to say anything?!"

Sarah saw the distrust in the boy's eyes and gripped his hands, pressing the amulet into them. "I've cleansed it, wipe any psychic fingerprints I left on it away. I want you to wear this, because I need to know you're safe. Please, Toby. Wear it, don't take it off. Put a dab of sage water on it every night before bed." She saw him opening his mouth to object. "I angered something, Toby. This might be the last time I see you for a long time. So please, for mom and dad, if you wont do it for me."

Finally, the stubborn look on his face melted away and he slipped the amethyst amulet over his neck. "Alright, Sarah. Since you're so serious about this. But...the next time I see you, it better not be you looking up at me from a wooden box."

She hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Toby." She stood, walking back towards the door.

"Hey, mister."

She hesitated at the door, frowning as Toby addressed the Goblin King. Jareth inclined his head, a look of interest on his face. "Yes?"

"If anything happens to my sister, I'm going to hunt your skinny ass down and kick the shit out of it."

The older man gave her a look of amusement. "Considering you're Sarah's brother, I'd be terribly disappointed if you didn't..." and with those somewhat cryptic words, he headed out the door and down the hall ahead of her.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Jareth watched Sarah closely as she parked her car in the driveway of her small home. She left it running, her head leaning back against the rest, her eyes focused on the ceiling. "I suppose you're going to do your sparkly disappearing act as soon as we're inside?"

Her tone was so neutral, he couldn't tell if she wanted that, or wanted him to stay. Still, there were things in his own realm that required dealing with. He reached forward, lifting a lock of her hair, stroking it gently. "There are still many things which require discussion. I would not be...adverse to working with you to solve our mutual problem."

Her eyes widened as if in surprise. "But...how would I contact you without inviting in one of those..." she gave a shudder that actually endeared him.

He released the lock of hair, wondering what it actually felt like. "Precious, should you need me, simply call my name at a mirror." His eyes took on an almost wicked gleam. "Perhaps next time, we might actually...do those inane banalities that former acquaintances do when they're reunited...rather than just business..."

Before she had an opportunity to retort that outside of business she wanted nothing to do with him, he leaned forward, gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek, and disappeared, showering her in glitter. She stood there for a long minute, lips still pursed to speak, but words officially lost.

She gave a huff that was almost a laugh, shaking her head. As usual, when dealing with the king of the goblins, one should expect surprises.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Jareth reclined in his throne, mostly ignoring the mischief and general destruction his subjects were visiting upon a particular black chicken. Instead, he was pondering the possibilities behind this reunion with Sarah Williams. To say he was shocked when he'd heard her voice call upon him, wishing his presence, would be a gross understatement.

Shortly following that, he'd been slammed with the realization that his sweet Sarah had opened that crack and one of those monsters would sense the magical imprint the Underground had left upon her. He'd barely finished dressing, hadn't even bothered to put on his boots before he forced himself to her side.

It was mildly flattering that she'd gone through all the trouble to call him, even drawing a binding circle on the floor. Flattering and insanely fortunate. Had she not, she would have been an extremely lovely corpse. He felt a shudder ripple through him at the thought. Best not to think about it. She had, after all, declared war on those monsters, and they would likely be after her lovely neck at their soonest opportunity. He would not have left her alone had her protective measures been less vigilant.

He made a vague gesture with one hand, and when it stilled, a crystal sat upon it. It took little concentration to bridge the gap now. Twenty years without being able to clearly see her face, forbidden to approach her in her own realm. But now, just the barest flicker of thought and her face was reflected within that sphere, eyes closed in sleep.

It would appear that the gods of fortune had thrown him a bit of luck.

He gave a faint smile and curled his fist around the crystal, taking a moment to savor the knowledge that even after this was over, he'd still be able to peek into the girl's life and see how it progressed. If he played his cards right, he might even be able to visit, to slip into her life.

His visit into her bedroom had not just been him checking out the homes protections. No, and what he found there pleased him more than he truly wanted to think about. Her room had been empty of men's clothing, her home void of things that suggested another presence that lived there.

Jareth gave a somewhat frightening smile, getting cozy in his throne, his mind formulating a plan to seduce Sarah into being his on a much more permanent basis. Unfortunately, just as he reached the point where she was moaning his name, a cry echoed through the room.

"I wish the goblins would take you away!"

Jareth's good mood faded and he took two valuable seconds to change his clothing before vanishing from the throne room. He arrived in the room where the child had wished away it's sibling and froze, watching as the Whisper tore it's arm from the teenage girl's chest.

The monster hadn't seemed to notice him yet. It was too busy sucking the magic from the bodies of the children. The beast still clenched the hearts in each hand, both organs still pumping just a bit, as though in denial of being ripped so suddenly from living bodies.

Fury gripped the Goblin King. Not fury regarding the loss of two future goblins. No, this fury was because he'd finally realized why these last few children, he'd had no chance to save. The bastards were lying in wait. He'd literally poofed himself into a cape and boots, and then went off to find these children, and this bastard had beaten him to the punch. "You," he snarled, drawing the monster's attention.

Soulless black eyes lifted, pinning him. He couldn't help but wonder what he looked like to these monsters. Probably something like a magical all-you-can-eat buffet. "You cretins seem to think that you can have everything and anything you wish to take...slip through a crack that is not even meant for you, kill my minions, and steal the lives of children who have barely begun to live..."

He gripped a crystal before he even realized it, a spell of death wrapped carefully in fragility. He moved rapidly towards the monster, shoving the crystal into the creature's chest before it perceived the danger, indeed, before it had a chance to move.

He felt no regret for what the beast had been before it had become what it now was. He felt no lamentations about killing something that fed off magic. Instead, he closed his eyes and removed himself from the scene of such destruction. There was nothing else he could do here. Before he realized that he'd redirected his destination, he was standing over a sleeping Sarah.

Her dark hair spilled over her white pillow, in her hands she clutched a book, something she'd obviously been reading before she'd fallen asleep. She was apparently sleeping in a long sleeved garment of some kind, likely due to the chill in the room. He noticed painted wards were glowing faintly blue and he gave a small smile, leaning down and brushing the hair from her face. "I'll be there for you..." he promised, before straightening. He had to return to his own realm, and put his troops on alert. No more would the goblins be going to retrieve the children before he arrived. He would spirit the children away personally.

He wasn't going to let those loyal to him stand in the face of danger. However...he would let this one stand beside him. He would hold onto the belief that her noble heart would give him the help he required, while protecting her from the fate of the wished away children, from those who were the wishers.

The small phone on her bedside table began to vibrate forcefully, but she didn't appear to hear it. Gently, even as he began to disappear, he shook her shoulder, put his lips to her ear and spoke to her. "Wake up, Sarah..."

Sarah startled awake, not noticing the glitter falling onto her bedspread. Her attention fastened upon her vibrating phone and she flipped it open. "Sarah Williams..." she answered with a yawn.

"Williams, it's Samuels."

The gruff voice of the police captain pulled the last vestiges of sleep away. Her heart stilled and she sat up. "You found another set of bodies." She didn't bother phrasing it as a question. She knew well enough why he would call her at two in the morning.

With quiet reserve, she took down the address and promised to be there as quickly as possible. She rose from the bed and dressed quickly in black jeans and a button down shirt. She was brushing her teeth as she made a travel mug filled with coffee, and only went into her bathroom long enough to rinse her mouth out quickly.

While hunting through her bedroom for a pair of socks, she found a curious splash of glitter on her bedspread and went very still for a moment. Had he come by to warn her that another pair of children had gone missing? Or for some other reason?

Regardless, at least this confirmed what exactly had pulled her from her sleep and a rather odd dream featuring pineapples and the Goblin King.


	5. Chapter 4

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Four

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It had been a week since the evening she'd invited the Goblin King into her home. Life had, since then, taken on an almost normal feel, one day rolling into the next, besides the bodies that evening, there had been no others. At least not here...then again, from what the Goblin King had mentioned, if there had already been thirteen of those monsters to attack, now fourteen, and she'd only seen four, it was completely possible there had been more in other areas.

The mere thought of it made her shudder.

It also didn't help that she'd been struck with the sensation that she was being followed with increasing frequency. She'd half-way expected it to be her glittery stalker, but whenever she'd turned around, she'd seen only shadows. This told her that what was following her was likely something more sinister. In addition, the protective circle around her home was growing smeared, and the wards in her bedroom were on the verge of lighting up like a proverbial Christmas tree.

At the moment, she was walking down the street, dressed warmly, drinking a coffee, trying to not feel as though the fog were trying to swallow her whole. It didn't help that her talismans were growing uncomfortably hot, an almost sure sign that she was in danger. They were pulsing and vibrating as well.

She shook off the sensations, trying to take her mind off the grim direction her life seemed to wish to take.

"Williams!"

She turned slightly, finding the police chief moving towards her. "Samuels," she greeted amicably. Sam Samuels (which his parents should have been beaten for) was not an unattractive man. He was still reasonably slender for his age of forty two, with light brown hair and dark blue eyes. She'd have even given him a chance if her last relationship hadn't ended so abysmally poorly.

"How are you? You're looking a little hunted." He gave her a dashing smile and she rolled her eyes a bit. She supposed after having the bucketful of testosterone-rich glitter dumped over her head a week ago, she was less susceptible to the charms of mortal men.

"To be frank, Sam, I'm feeling hunted. I can't even sleep in my own house without worrying that some horrible monster is going to come out from under the bed and rip me apart." She saw disbelief on his face and sighed.

"Really, Sarah? The boogeyman? How old are you? Thirty? Aren't you a little old to be jumping at shadows or believing things that don't-"

She slapped both hands over his mouth. She didn't even care that she dropped her coffee. She took several calming breaths, then began to speak calmly. "I don't take a verbal piss on your beliefs; don't take one on mine." When she'd calmed herself, she dropped her hands. "I have to deal with that enough at my parents home without worrying about it here..."

"You really still believe in all of that?"

"One can only see so much before one starts having to." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't expect you to believe, Sam. You haven't seen what I have...you haven't done what I've done. But you don't have to-"

"You're right, I was an ass." He glanced down at the coffee that was spilled all over the sidewalk. "Can I buy you a coffee?" He gave her a small smile, that looked to her like he was trying to make amends.

"Alright," she agreed. "Fine..."

They began walking down the street, and she felt the strange sensation of something following her once again, but instead of her amulets buzzing and acting as though she were being threatened, they'd gone oddly calm. She allowed her friend to lead her into the coffee shop, but too a moment to glance behind her, under the guise of taking off her coat.

She found a slender man with long blond hair looking at her, his face amused. Glitter-induced hormones dumped over her head and she forced her eyes away, ducking into the building behind the police chief. What the _hell_ was the Goblin King doing following her like he was some dark version of a guardian angel?

She found herself glancing out the window when she and Sam were seated in a booth, and she mostly ignored it as the older man ordered them both coffee.

"So then, from your...alternative point of view, what do _you_ think is attacking these kids? The boogeyman?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "It's a long story. One that even if I told you, you probably wouldn't believe, and I'd be convincing enough that you'd think I was crazy. Suffice to say that I think it is something that dwells in the dark side of life, and it's something merciless and without feeling."

"Goblins or something?"

She snorted.

Someone beside her snorted as well. "Yes, yes, always with the blame on the _goblins_."

Sarah bit her lip, glancing to her left, finding the Goblin King sitting there in all his sparkly glory, hair liberally dusted with something that made it shimmer. He was dressed warmly, and she only just noticed that his wool clad thigh was pressed lightly against hers. "Goblins...are mischievous, but they'd be more interested in kidnapping," she trod heavily on Jareth's booted foot as she spoke, "the child than killing it."

Jareth's knee hit the table top hard enough to shake the stoneware sitting on it and Sam frowned faintly, glancing towards her. "Sarah, what was that?"

"Long story," she said simply.

"Yes, Sarah, tell the nice old man that you cruelly stepped upon my foot for adding in my two sense."

_I'm so going to kill him_, Sarah thought, then frowned. _After I figure out what he wants._

Or better yet, how the heck was he able to sit next to her, but Sam didn't seem to notice. She gave up pondering it, deciding to interrogate the faery king later. "Sam, there's dark, and then there's _dark_. It's not so simple as black and white, good and evil, you know that. How many really genuinely evil people have you met?"

The chief shrugged. "Not many. I met that fellow down in Texas that was kidnapping, torturing and killing those women. I think there were twenty some odd that they know of. He was the worse."

Sarah nodded. "Our world is filled with shades of gray. But it's not like that everywhere. And whatever is doing this is a kind of evil that I've never encountered before. To kill children...not necessarily innocent children, but children none the less."

"Evil is a good word for it."

Jareth's agreement was rather gratifying, even if Sam was looking at her like she was nuts. "Sarah..."

She gave him a smile. "I told you that you wouldn't believe me." She gave a shrug. "Most people can't. Not even my family. Maybe someday I'll tell you why I believe like that. But not right now." She stood. "Thanks for the coffee, Sam. I really got to go."

"Sarah, I didn't mean to insult you. Perhaps I could treat you to dinner?"

She walked around the table, gently resting a hand on his cheek. "You're sweet, Sam. I'm sorry." Without another word, she left the coffee shop. She heard the soft tap of shoes, and glanced back, finding Jareth behind her, a frown etched onto his face.

"Was I intruding on a date?" His voice was bitter with distaste.

She rolled her eyes. "Goblin King, I'm not going to have a chat when obviously no one else can see you," she kept her voice calm and kept walking. She blew on her rapidly chilling fingers hoping to coax some warmth into the digits. It felt like it had dropped another ten degrees. Why in the world was it still so cold?

There was a faint poofing sound and when she returned her gaze towards the king of the goblins, she found him dressed very similarly to how he'd dressed when she'd gone to see her brother. His hair was smoothed slightly, tied back at the nape of his neck. Those arched brows hadn't changed, but the dark make-up around his eyes was gone. He wore slacks, a long wool coat, a dark vest and a pale scarf around his neck.

He looked almost human.

Strangely, rather than feeling intimidated, seeing him like this almost calmed her. It was as if the whole other-worldly being factor had been turned way down. He was still Jareth, his personality (and ego) were far too large to be contained, but he was the calmer-looking, less frightening version. Still...

Why the hell was it that no matter how he disguised himself, he made her heart tremble with excitement?

"Again, precious, did I intrude upon your date with this..._Sam_?"

She had hoped that demanding he make himself visible would distract him from the question. A sigh escaped her. "Sam is a colleague from work. I assure you, I don't usually tell my dates 'I'm sorry' before I leave." She rolled her eyes. "And not that it's any of your business, but I haven't been on a date since I left college. Most men wont tolerate a woman who has her 'head in the clouds'." She made quotations in the air as she spoke.

The Goblin King was silent for awhile. "And here I'd thought it was because you couldn't forget me," his voice was light, teasing, as though trying to take her mind off of it.

Unfortunately, it caused a flush to color her cheeks and she forced herself to look away. "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint." She kept her tones clipped. The truth was, she _hadn't_ forgotten him, nor what he'd represented, what he'd done for her. His words at the very end were burned into her memory, even if she'd convinced herself that it was a final ploy to distract her.

There was a rough chuckle from beside her, and she glanced towards the man, finding his eyes upon her. "You've changed so much, yet you've not changed a bit..." he said quietly, his eyes bright and almost pleased with that revelation.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know what you're talking about..." she muttered under her breath. She shivered and stuffed her hands in her pockets. A quiver raced through her when she felt a hand on her shoulder pull her against the side of the Goblin King. She gave a breathless squeak and went a bit rigid.

"What I'm speak of, my dear Sarah," he began, his lips close enough to her ears, she could feel his warm breath on them. "Is that you've obviously grown older, wiser, and – if you don't mind me saying – even more lovely, but you still get so riled in my presence that I'm never certain if you want to kiss me or hit me."

She refused to look at him. "It's a toss-up...sometimes."

He laughed outright.

"So..." she said, feeling a bit desperate, "why are you here? Why were you following me?"

His laughter died. "Well, so much for that little conversation filled with banalities..." he muttered. With a heavy sigh, he removed his hand from her shoulder, stuffing it into his coat pocket. "I was making certain you were alright. I've ordered my goblins back to the realm. I'll not have more of them fall victim to these beasts. Their population is dwindling as it is. At this point, they are actually going to have to start reproducing, and that, precious thing, is a terrifying thought."

Her heart did a little stumble when he called her by endearments, she noticed. Then, her brain caught up with the first thing he'd said. She looked towards him, her eyes going wide. "Why...?"

"You've seen the goblins, Sarah. Do you really want to imagine them procreating? I could give you a point by point-"

"That's not what I was talking about!" She wasn't certain how she managed tart instead of scathing. "I was talking about...why were you checking up on me?"

The man went quiet for quite awhile. "You know you likely angered the creatures, my dear. If you'd prefer I not, I will oblige you-"

"No!" She bit her lip when he arched a fine brow at her. "Look, we obviously can't talk about this in public. Not really. Are you free for awhile? We could talk a my place."

He seemed to assess her shivering form, and before she could say a word, he stepped towards her, pulling her close. "Then let's get there quickly."

"Huh?"

Before she could say anything more intelligent, they'd both vanished from the spot. It was rather disorienting, perhaps nauseating, disappearing from one place and reappearing instantly in another. She staggered, grabbing hold on the only thing nearby, which happened to be Jareth. The room continued to dip and swirl for a moment, before it settled.

"The first few times can be...disorienting..." the man said, amusement thick in his voice.

"Yeah, well, next time you should warn me before you glitter poof me off somewhere..." she muttered, still clinging to his wool coat. She felt his hands beneath her elbows and once again, pondered why he seemed so dead set on making sure she was whole. When the world stopped making like a tilt-a-whirl, she stepped away from him, releasing his coat and turning away to shed her own. She tossed it onto the back of a chair, heading towards the kitchen.

"So, if you're not dating this...Sam, what is your relationship?"

She blinked, looking back at him, perplexed. "We wind up working together a lot. He's the chief of police; I'm the city coroner. Needless to say, those two jobs wind up crossing often." She pulled out her kettle, filling it with water and setting it upon the stove. "Sometimes, he makes steps to get closer, but I'm afraid my luck with men is rather dismal, and I learn well from bad experiences." She pulled out two cups for tea and a little jar labeled 'calm'.

He leaned on the counter, fixing her with an intent gaze. "So you avoid men because you fear all of your relationships will end in failure?"

She sighed, waving a hand. "That's not the point of this conversation." She hesitated for a moment before pulling out two silk tea bags and filling them. "I know that these aren't only happening here...have there been any others...since the last one?"

His face was grim. "No. Which could either be very good or very bad. They may be retreating. However, there is also the possibility that they are forming a plan of attack. I arrived just in time to learn that they've been sneaking in with the goblins, lying in wait. I do not like that they've been encroaching upon my territory, yet I feel that now they know that a creature of the magical realms is coming to collect these children, they are hoping to catch me unawares..."

She frowned faintly. "I suppose that makes sense. If they eat magic and you're basically made from it, then you'd probably be a good sized meal for them."

He shuddered a bit at the thought. "Precious, I'm well aware that I likely look like a sizable morsel. You needn't mention it."

She gave him a perplexed look. "It bothers you? Knowing that they look at you like food?"

"How does it make you feel? And believe me, I've faced down against several more than you." He paced away from her. "You ask why I am looking in on you from time to time – no, this isn't the first time. I've been checking in on you since you called me back into your life in that dramatic fashion a week ago. I watch over you because you are the only ally I have here." He paced back towards her, putting a hand on the counter on either side of her, trapping her. "And because I can't quite believe that you _did_ call me."

Her heart did a little stumble and landed in a heap. He was so close she could smell his intoxicating scent. At some point, his modern clothing had given way to the faery tale clothes from all of her memories, and again, he was the man who'd intimidated her so badly when she was a girl. She pressed back harder into the counter, her hands accidentally falling upon his. "Jareth-" she warned softly.

"For years, you'd banned me from your life. So many years lost. I fully intend to take advantage of the fact that we're together once again." He leaned forward, capturing her lips with his.

The contact caused shock to ripple through her body and her knees turned to jelly. She reacted, even though her higher brain functions were temporarily history. One hand lifted, fisting tightly into the flaxen silk that was his hair. Her ears picked up a faint, needy moan that rumbled from the man's throat as he changed his angle, pressing harder, forcing her mouth open.

Well, holy shit. She was making out with the Goblin King.

The thought made her giggle, which while not her first response to the situation, was the first to make itself known. Unfortunately, this made Jareth pull away and give her a petulant frown. "Damn, I must be more out of practice than I thought if you're laughing at me," he muttered, his voice dark.

She gave a dramatic eye-roll, not releasing the grip she had on his hair. "I wasn't laughing at you." She kept her voice matter of fact as she spoke. "I had a...strange thought."

"Oh? Do tell."

She grinned. "I don't think so. Now, you can stop crowding me for five minutes while I finish making tea." She turned away from him slightly, smiling and feeling all too pleased with herself at the sputtering sounds she heard coming from the man near her.

A rough sigh escaped him, and she felt two arms go snuggly around her waist, even as she poured water into the two cups. It took a great deal of concentration to not slosh the hot water onto her hand. Suddenly, his grip tightened, and she heard him make an oddly distressed sound. She gave a half-turn and looked up at him. "What is it?" She didn't even realize that she'd reached for him until one hand came to rest upon his face, her other gently touching his arm.

His face was twisted into a pained grimace. "A summons," he said quietly. "I must leave, Precious."

She saw the concern on his face and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Then go quickly." Before the words had fully left her mouth, he was gone in a puff of smoke and glitter.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"You're so stupid, Theresa! I wish the goblins would take you away!"

The twelve year old Taylor screamed down at his little sister, her face red with fury. The girl was crying, tears pouring down her face. A little snot dribbled from one nostril. There was a strange hissing sound, and Taylor whirled, finding himself face to face with a nightmare seconds before the lights went off. He screamed again, this time in terror, instinct putting himself between the monster and his sister.

A clawed hand lifted, about to deal a death blow when something else appeared in front of him. There was a startled cry of pain, and then, two arms wrapped around himself and his sister, and he thankfully fainted.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: So...forgot to do shoutouts last chapter, very sorry. I'll get them all covered in this one. This chapter was a bit like pulling teeth, and came to me really slowly. I have a feeling that this thing will be wrapped up within the next five or so chapters. It's not meant to be particularly long ^^;_

_So...shoutouts..._


	6. Chapter 5

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Five

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sarah wasn't certain that the summons was a blessing or a curse. Her fingers continually tested her swollen lips, her brain and body having decided in unison that it was possibly the single best kiss she'd gotten in her lifetime. Which was not something she planned on filling the Goblin King in on.

She wouldn't mind at all, trying a few more kisses with him. Perhaps a bit more than kisses. The thought of more than kisses caused a faint blush to race over her cheeks and she gave a guilty smile. It just wasn't fair that he could come in and turn her world upside down all over again. He'd done that twenty years ago, and now her much more adult and extremely frustrated brain was providing her with 'help' regarding the inevitability when he'd leave at the end of this whole situation.

That left a sour taste in her mouth. She would never admit that she'd missed him, not to his face. The thought of him leaving after a few weeks of contact, of her never hearing from him again, or worse yet, growing older here, while he visited, never appearing to age. She stared into the tea she'd made before he'd blinked out of existence, leaving only a shower of glitter in his wake.

Damn and blast. It shouldn't be possible that she'd lost her head over the Goblin King after one measly little toe-curling, mind-numbing, tingly-feeling kiss.

She sighed, lifting her mug and moving to the living room, when the power went out quite suddenly, and the light from outside illuminated a dark-clad form as he crumpled to the ground. The rooms wards glowed bright blue, making up for the lack of light and casting everything with that electric blue hue. That was the only reason she was able to identify the Goblin King.

The teacup fell from numb fingers and before she'd realized she wanted to move, she was at his side, helping shift him. Shock and fear ripped through her when she felt something damp and sticky on her hand, paired with a cry of pain from the man. "Jareth, Jareth, what happened?!"

He lifted his face, shaking his head. "There's no time...it's right...behind me."

There was a hissing sound and Sarah lifted her head, feeling a moment of shock followed promptly by terror. Her hand reached for the nearest item she might defend herself and the wounded man with, and she felt the cool blade of her athame.

"Magic rich here..." hissed a voice that she could swear narrated a few of her nightmares. Sarah wrapped her hand around the blade's handle and cast her gaze around. She was near where she stored her altar items. One of which was a sizable blade, decorated with runes. Those black reflective eyes focused on her, and she felt her breath leave her. "Magic...sweet..."

She lunged the foot away, grabbing the decorated sword from where it was tucked away and pivoted, the longer of the two blades in her right hand, her athame in her left. Neither was particularly short, really. The athame's blade was over twelve inches long, and the sword was two feet total. They still had enough zap left over that they should cause enough damage.

The monster seemed to forget that Jareth was there, focused on her. She wished she'd gone to see her supplier about more of those damn bullets. That .22 would be damn useful right then. Unfortunately, she hadn't thought about it. That's something that would change if she lived through this particular altercation.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jareth had slumped to the ground, and there were two children held tightly in his arms. One appeared to be on the cusp of puberty, the other was barely a child. She felt hatred surge within her and she lunged towards the monster as it lunged for her. She slung the hand with the sword forward, driving it into it's chest, barely hearing the sound of the blade breaking off. The monster screamed in pain, staggering back and before it could recover enough to charge at her, she lunged forward, stabbing her ceremonial dagger through it's throat.

Those black eyes dimmed, and it slumped over dead.

Adrenaline left her as the creature began to disintegrate into that black smoke and she only just managed to stagger back over to the prone form of the Goblin King before her knees gave out. She brushed his hair from his face, her eyes worriedly looking him over. "Jareth, are you alright?"

His eyes opened, his face tense with pain. "Yes, Precious. I'll live. I take it you've dispatched the whisper?"

She nodded. "You're bleeding," she pointed out, gently touching the place she could see glistening blood. She saw him glance down, his expression passive.

"So I am..."

The children began to stir, and the older of the two lifted his head, finding his sister cuddled up comfortably against the chest of the Goblin King. The boy reached over, tentatively, touching the crown of red hair. Then, the boy looked at the pale face of the monarch. Tears welled and spilled down young cheeks. He pressed his face into the king's armor, clutching his shirt in his small hands. "Thank you...thank you..."

Gently, Sarah pried the child away. "In the bathroom down the hall, under the sink, there's a first aide kit. Please get it for me." She kept her voice gentle, even as she extracted the red-head from the death grip she had on the king. After both children were off on her errand, she began helping the Goblin King out of his armor.

The man gave a rough chuckle as she did, even as he did his best to assist her. "Precious, if you wanted me out of my more constrictive clothing, you could have simply asked..." he teased lightly, his eyes bright with amusement, even while being dulled by pain.

She felt her cheeks flush slightly, lifting the armor over his head and letting it rest on the ground. There was a sizable chunk broken, likely from impact. She shuddered, helping him out of his shirt. When she saw the wound, she shuddered in fear.

It was black, malignant. _Painful._ "Jareth...It looks infected..."

"That's one way of putting it. You needn't worry, it's contained." His voice sounded tight and dismissive, as though he were trying to say it wasn't a big deal.

She moved around him, lifting his face, her eyes concerned. "I'll do what I can...maybe peroxide..." she mumbled as she moved back around him to treat the wound. The children reappeared, toting her large medical pack, and she pulled out the sage water, soaking a cloth with that first. Gently, she rested it against the wound, and gasped, startled, when he cried out in pain. "Jareth, what is it?!"

She could hear his teeth grinding together before he caught his breath enough to speak. "I'll explain later. Don't worry about the malignancy. Just treat the bleeding. I doubt there's anything that you can do for the rest..."

She cast him a worried glance, but did as he requested, murmuring soft prayers to whatever gods or goddesses might be listening. She set the sage water soaked cloth against the wound, followed by a dry bandage, then taped them onto his skin. The man's breathing was labored, pained, by the time she was done. The two children sat back, watching, not saying anything.

Finally, she turned towards the two of them. She walked towards a small box she kept, flipping open the lid, finding a two red cord necklaces, each with seven knots, then moved towards them once again. Kneeling on the ground, she gave them a small smile. "You two can't stay here. You're parents will be worried. These are for you, though. They should protect you. Whatever you do, don't take them off. Ever." She pulled out a bottle of sage water and gave them a smile. "This is monster repellent. Every night, put some of this on your necklaces, and it'll keep the monsters from getting you..."

They looked up at her, nodding solemnly. After what they'd seen, they wouldn't be able to not believe.

She pulled out a card, writing her phone number on it. "This is my number. If anything like this ever happens again, call me." She paused. "I'm going to call my friend, Sam. He'll come and take you home, alright...?"

They nodded again. She had them sit on her couch, then walked into the kitchen, where she called Sam. He was obviously at the station, because she could hear a flurry of movement in the background. "Sam," she said patiently.

"Sarah, we're busy. Two kids have gone missing, and everyone's speculating that the murder is progressing towards kidnapping and possibly torture-"

"One boy age ten to thirteen, dark brown hair, one girl, age three to five, red hair? Both blue-eyed?" Her friend had gone deadly silent. "They're sitting on my living room couch. It's a long story, and I'd rather not get into the explanations that you wont believe. Come over, they need to go home."

"Sarah-"

"I'm asking you to trust me, Sam."

There was a long moment of silence. "Alright, Sarah. But I expect dinner tomorrow night, with the explanation about what the hell is going on and how those two kids got across town in under an hour."

"Make it lunch and you've got a deal. I'll be bringing a friend with me."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Jareth woke feeling distinctly uncomfortable. His right arm had gone to sleep and there was a strange weight holding him down at his midsection and thighs. There was an annoying buzzing near the left side of his head that he dealt with by tossing a crystal at it with a barely formed thought. Unfortunately, that strange, warm weight shifted, and rolled nearly on top of him.

That had his eyes popping open to find out who was sprawled on top of the Goblin King. He nearly hissed in delight when he realized the weight was actually Sarah and one of her legs had slipped between his own, providing some rather stimulating pressure against his lower regions. A wicked smile bloomed on his face as he ran his hands along her sides, feeling her warmth through her clothing and his own gloved hands. Well, this was a surprising development. Since when was Sarah comfortable enough with him to get all snuggly in her sleep?

Her lovely figure squirmed slightly in response to the touch, which caused a distinctly pleasant form of pain. "Sarah..." he moaned softly, kicking a leg around hers so that when she woke she wouldn't be able to escape very easily.

Evidentially, her name is all that it took. Lovely green eyes popped open and she was staring down at his face, wide eyed in shock. Her cheeks turned an endearing shade of pink, and her hands began pushing up in an attempt to remove herself from his person. That was _not_ the response he wanted, so he gripped her shoulders, pulling her back onto his chest, rather forcefully.

He smirked when the breath left her rather quickly, and he simply wrapped his arms around her, holding her there. "Now, now, precious thing," he taunted slightly. "Don't go spoiling everything. I admit, while surprised, I found my waking rather pleasant with you snuggling up to me like this. I daresay I could even get used to the numbness and lack of circulation to my arms."

Her face just kept getting darker. "It's...I was...worried about you...I didn't want you to wake up and need something and not be there to take care of it..."

Oh, the place he could go with that innocent little statement. He watched in wry amusement as her brain caught up with her words, and she realized the multiple connotations behind it. "Well, suffice to say I'm awake and...I'd say I need something." He smirked, pressing his hips up against her own, letting her feel what her wonderful morning wiggles did to him. A pleased growl escaped him when her eyes glazed over a bit. "And if you'd like to take care of it for me, I shan't object..."

Once more, her cheeks turned dark red and she lowered her face, as though shy. He sighed softly. Perhaps that was too obvious an advance. Gently, he caught her chin, tilting her face back up. He was surprised at the emotions he saw swimming in them. She looked like she had a healthy dose of need herself. He leaned up, catching her lips easily with his own, giving her a long, drugging kiss.

As the night before, he felt one of her hands wrap in his hair, and his own responded in kind. A pleased rumble escaped him and he rolled, putting himself over the girl, settling onto her, pulling away far enough to meet her eyes. "You drive me to distraction, my dear Sarah..." he said quietly, searching her face. He was pleased to find her a bit clouded by pleasure. "Unfortunately, it is not the right time. I seem to recall that we have an appointment this afternoon..."

He had to be imagining the disappointment on her lovely face. He heard the girl sigh, and slipped his hand from her hair, slipping it along her body. "Were we free for the day, you'd not be leaving this bed. Make no mistake regarding that..." He watched as she shuddered. Giving her a wicked smile, he removed himself from atop her, offering his hand. "Let us make use of the joys of modern plumbing, precious..."

She gave a soft giggle, setting her hand in his own. "Modern plumbing has many uses, Goblin King. What in particular were you speaking of?"

He felt a shiver of his own work through him at the wicked intent in her voice. He bared his teeth, tempted by her suggestion. He didn't bother denying that. "Love, I daresay you're going to make us late with allusions such as that. Let us be creative later. Becoming clean will be plenty for now." He saw the disappointment deepen and cupped her face, lifting it so he could look down at her eyes. "Sweet Sarah, dare I hope that you were rather hoping I was going to ravish you this morning?"

She flushed that endearing pink again, this time a few shades darker. "I don't know what you're talking about..." she lied softly, the disappointment still tinging her features.

He sighed, leading her to the bathroom. He felt the token resistance she gave but mostly ignored it, closing the door behind them. She wore a simple pink tank top and loose cotton pants once again, and his eyes could see that was it, save, perhaps, panties. "I would...appreciate assistance..." he teased lightly. "I am, after all, still wounded."

Gently, he took her hands, placing them at the laces of his breeches. He held his gaze with her own. That delightful flush darkened once more and he fairly pured in pleasure. As she worked at the front of his breeches, he quickly gripped the drawstring that held up her own pants. With a wicked smirk, he jerked it, and her pants loosed, sliding down her legs. The smirk broadened when he saw that she did indeed wear panties, but they left surprising little to the imagination.

She gasped softly, her eyes locked with his. Her lips were parted in surprise. Then, her entire face became that fetching shade of pink. "Wh-what do you think you're doing?!" The stutter was rather endearing as well.

He smiled pleasantly. "I did mention that I'd appreciate your assistance, did I not?" At her tentative nod, he continued, "do you plan on bathing fully dressed?" Pink gave way to red. He gave a petulant pout. "Precious, you are going to make us late with these continued delays."

She began to mutter viciously, dragging her gaze away from his, tugging his breeches off, and she averted her gaze, reaching to help him with his shirt next. He let her, wincing as it pulled slightly at the wound. He felt rewarded when her irritation gave way to concern. Suddenly, oblivious to her state, she moved quickly around him, pushing his shirt up and pulling it off. She followed that by removing the bandage with great care. He was rather touched with the gentle way she was attempting to administer to him.

He heard her soft gasp after the bandage had been torn away, and he frowned. "Is it that bad?" He glanced back at her, finding worry in her eyes. He gave a chuckle. "You're far too serious-"

"You're not serious enough!" She drug him towards the mirror and let him view the damage for himself the first time.

His eyes darted wide and he reached back, tentatively touching the wound. "Damn," he breathed. "It must have poisoned it's claws," he swore a bit viciously. Her cool fingers danced over the darkened flesh and he saw her eyes had gone a bit distant. To take her mind off of it, he turned around, pulling off his gloves, and he gripped the edge of her shirt, his eyes shining mischievously in the mirror, even to him. Before she could object, he pulled the shirt up and over her head, revealing her torso. Her arms were a hair too late in shielding herself from his gaze.

He chuckled softly, "if you're hiding during the entire process, I doubt you'll be able to wash yourself efficiently." He reached for her panties, catching her eyes in the mirror, slipping his hands down her sides and hooking his thumbs into the edges, sliding them down. Once they began to slide down by their own weight alone, he let them fall. His breath rushed out of him at the discovery of a rather lovely and _familiar_ design tattooed at her hips. Damn, he should have thought this through better. His mind was having a rather vehement debate regarding the benefits of taking Sarah then and there, just bending her over the sink-

No.

The first time with her would not simply be two people out of control. It would not be to demean her. He did not have the time currently to do everything he'd wish for their first time together. He met her gaze in the mirror, letting her see his desire for her, desire that had not faded over those twenty years. "Sarah," he breathed, his hands slipping slowly over her round hips. His thumbs lightly caressed the inkwork at her hips. "By the gods, you're lovely..." he couldn't resist leaning forward, tasting the skin of her neck for a moment.

The girl moaned and went slack in his arms.

He slipped his arms around her, holding her naked form close. "Come, precious thing, let's hurry to this meeting you've arranged, so we might explore the more nefarious uses of your modern conveniences..." Those green eyes darkened a bit and he smiled wickedly at her. An equally wicked smile met with her lips and he felt pleasure rip through him at the knowledge that she certainly did want him as much as he did her.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

While Jareth did not fully ravish her while they prepared to go meet her sometimes co-worker, Sarah found herself certain of the direction their new relationship was heading. The man had also spent far more time washing her than was truly necessary, and she found herself doing the same. She couldn't help herself. He'd been the inspiration behind far too many youthful fantasies, and she had mentally taken her sexual frustrations out on him for years.

The man hadn't minded. He'd even shared a few more of those toe-curling, mind-numbing kisses before they'd decided they'd dawdled in the shower long enough. It had been with great difficulty, asking him to cast the glamour that made him visible to the rest of the world. She'd discovered that while he was intimidating like that, she rather liked having him to herself. Unfortunately, after Sam had arrived last evening to collect the children, she felt she owed the man a bit of an understanding.

So they left her home, entering into the cold, foggy day, Sarah dressed in her warmest coat, a scarf around her neck, woolen mittens over her hands. She wore comfortable jeans, warm winter boots. Jareth was dressed again in the woolen coat, dark vest and slacks that hugged him in a way that she was certain wasn't 'office appropriate'. His wild hair was smoothed back ever so slightly into a messier version of the ponytail he'd sported the first few times.

She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised by the appraising gazes he was receiving by the female populace of the city. It galled a little bit, having to share him with the world. She was too surprised by the surge of jealousy she felt whenever she caught another woman checking out his various assets.

She felt a hand slip around her own, still closed in the mitten and she lifted her gaze, looking up into the eyes of the Goblin King. His gaze met her own, as he lifted her fingers to his lips and she felt his breath upon them. She blushed, lowering her gaze, suddenly a bit shy.

They reached their destination and found Sam already sitting inside at a booth towards the back. Sarah saw Sam stand and he smiled at her, only to have it slip from his face when his hands focused upon her companion, and their clasped hands. Nerves rippled through her, and she swallowed hard. To her surprise, Jareth's fingers tightened upon her own, as though offering her his own strength.

Once they reached the table, Sam offered a hand, his gaze cool, appraising. "Sam Samuels."

Jareth accepted the hand, releasing Sarah's in the process. "Jareth King. Were your parents slapped for naming you that?"

Sarah shot Jareth a glare and trod heavily on her foot, although she'd been wondering the same thing for years.

Sam actually cracked a faint grin. "Good question. Were yours?"

"As I haven't got any, your guess is as good as mine." Jareth offered the inside edge of the booth for Sarah and then slid in beside her. He kept his gaze upon the chief of police, who sat across from Sarah.

Sarah sighed softly. "Sam, what I'm going to tell you is going to require you to suspend your beliefs regarding what 'reality' is. I can't make you believe me, and I don't expect it."

"Then why does your friend need to be here?" Sam sounded rather put out regarding their 'chaperone'.

Sarah inhaled to answer, when Jareth slid in smoothly. "Moral support."

She choked and began laughing outright. "Oh, that's rich," she managed, keeping her voice down. "You providing anything to do with morals is rich, Jareth. The only thing regarding my morals you seem interested in is inhibiting them." She could have winced when Sam got a dark look on his face.

"Sarah, who is this fop-"

"Big words coming from you-"

"If you two start a cockfight in my favorite restaurant and get me banned, I'll not have anything else to do with either of you," she snapped. She sighed when they relaxed against their seats. "I've known Jareth for twenty years, Sam. I met him when I was fifteen year old and made a rather terrible mistake. You see, when I was fifteen, I wished away my younger brother to the goblins."

Sam opened his mouth, and she lifted a hand, begging silence. Haltingly, with Jareth sometimes offering his own memories of the event, she told her friend the story of the misdirected choice of her youth. She could see the disbelief in the man's gaze and sighed, coming to the end of the story. She'd told him the basics without telling her own feelings, or even mentioning the broken portion of the escher room.

"So you expect me to believe all of this?"

"I already said I didn't." She sighed, feeling a warm gloved hand on her shoulder. She looked down at the chicken sandwich before her. "The children last night...the older one, Taylor wished his younger sister away. You see, that's how those monsters are getting to the children. Through a crack between worlds. Jareth gets to them as quickly as possible, but...he can't always make it in time. Last night he was injured. But he got the children away. He got them to me."

"Sarah-"

Jareth took his hand from Sarah's shoulder, staring at Sam with cool disdain. "Don't bother wasting more of your breath, Sarah," he said quietly.

She blinked, turning and looking at the man. "Pardon?"

"He doesn't understand. He doesn't believe. Even if one of those creatures were on top of him, he wouldn't see it. I would have to touch him, and believe me when I say it's not my desire to sully myself with touching a non-believer." He stood, looking down at the mortal.

Sam was on his feet as well. "You think I'd want to be sullied by being touched by you?"

Sarah sighed quietly. "Too much testosterone," she muttered. Yes, the base of the problem, she figured was jealousy. She stood, fixing both men with a look. "Sit down, you two nimwits, she kept her tone icy. She saw both of their eyes widen in surprise, and slowly, they took their seats. She looked towards Sam. "I know it's not an easy story to swallow. I've already stated I don't expect you to believe me. My own brother doesn't, and he lived through it. He was touched."

"Sarah, this is ridiculous-"

"That's exactly the response I've come to expect. My last boyfriend found out I was a practicing witch and decided my head was too far in the clouds for him. He didn't believe either. It's why I stay well away from romantic relationships. I can't be with someone who doesn't understand and accept all of me." She laced her bare hands together. "There's a lot that no one knows about me. There's even more that some know and others don't. I carry a .22mm, Sam. I bet you didn't know that."

Jareth gave her a look of admiration. "A weapon she handles with quite a bit of skill, I might add."

She turned and focused on Jareth. "He didn't know that any more than you know why I'm a coroner, Jareth. I'm a puzzle. Lots of fragmented pieces, and no one really sees the whole picture. Only little pieces of it."

Jareth's lips pulled into a frown at her description of herself.

She stood after a long moment, shooing Jareth out of the booth. "I need some time alone to think," she said quietly. "Excuse me." She turned away from both men, leaving them alone at the restaurant.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Jareth huffed, discontent. There went his wicked plans for the rest of the day. He snapped his fingers, knowing one of his servants would understand the instruction. He watched a small goblin scamper out of the shadows and after Sarah Williams.

"That woman is ice. She just left two men sitting at a table." The complaint drew a chuckle from the Goblin King. He turned, fixing, Sam with an amused look.

"Welcome to the reality I've been struggling with for the past twenty years, Sam Samuels."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: I unfortunately have quite a few shoutouts to make this time, as I've slacked the past two chapters. ^^; I'll try to hit the biggies. As a general shoutout, thanks for the support, and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint. Now, onto those with questions, and the ones that just grabbed my attention that much ^^;_

_CarrieCullen9586: I'm rather fond of Jareth in the role of a dark Knight in Shining Armor (or crotch enhancing armor, as Pika's brilliant self has put it). I also can't see him as anything besides possessive of Sarah. I hate Sarah playing D.i.D. She's supposed to be Jareth's equal, so she needs to be kicking arse, too ^^_

_CelestialDome: It would be a dark story, indeed if Jareth didn't make it in time to save at least a few children. In my mind, Jareth seems to be a very paternal type figure, very fond of children (I can't imagine why...)._

_Neori Eudaria: Sorry about the misnomer. ^^; Regarding the Diana Tregarde books – you caught me. I read 'Children of the Night' when I was about ten, and it was probably one of the driving forces behind my own pagan interests. Regarding Sarah's sometimes cliché jobs...I've actually seen her as nearly everything. There is so much potential at the end of the movie, so many directions she could take. I fully plan on getting into how she became pagan and a coroner, possibly next chapter...I'm not certain yet ^_^_

_Last Haven: With every story I write, I try for a few details that might not be cliché or over done. The phone responses are actually one's I've looked up online before. There are quite a few lists of them, some funnier than others. Given the tone of the main plot of the story, I find I need to lighten things up a bit, to keep the readers from feeling that it's too dark. _

_Skyere: I'm glad you're enjoying the story thus far. Sorry about missing the past few shoutouts. I generally prefer them as well, since I enjoy peoples responses regarding the other comments and my comments back._

_Cam calli: Unfortunately, no such luck. Jareth was on the receiving end of a rather nasty blow. Don't worry too much. The ending isn't fully decided upon yet._

_Sorry about keeping the shoutouts short. Having data dumped them the past two chapters, trying to catch up was daunting, so I tried to keep to the ones that had some manner of comment I could give more than just a thank you towards. There were others, but I'm trying to update in a timely fashion. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get all the responses dealt with for next chapter ^_^_


	7. Chapter 6

AN: Evil plot bunnies are plotting my demise. Today, I had a wicked idea for a Labyrinth story which is both horror and romance, and very sick and twisted. Enjoy.

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Six

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It had gotten cold early this year, Toby decided, walking across the quad, taking the short cut to his dorm room. In addition, it was damp, foggy, and generally the kind of day where he wished he could have curled up under his thick blankets and remained there, classes be damned. Unfortunately, as his father frequently enjoyed pointing out, Robert Williams was paying for him to go to college, the least he could do was show up to class.

Often, that was easier said than done. Toby rather enjoyed being social in the evenings, either hanging out, drinking with the other guys in the dorm, or flirting with girls on the quad. Unfortunately, he also hated being cold, and the classes were well heated. Meaning he'd spent the majority of his time between classes holed up in the Library with a book, just to avoid the chilly weather.

He dug his hands deeper into the pockets of his down filled coat, trying to ward off the coat. He smiled in amusement, wondering if his sister had a talisman against it. He could recall that Sarah had never been fond of cold weather either. Then again, her evenings tended to be a little on the cooler side than his own.

He sighed softly, digging the talisman she'd given him from the pocket of his jacket. He looked down at the small amethyst circlet, at the Celtic trifecta carved into it's face. He'd never believed like her. He wasn't certain why, after all they were half-siblings, but they were vastly different. He found it difficult to believe in the intangible, but Sarah believed with a passion that made you _want_ to believe her.

With a sigh, he stuffed the amulet back into his pocket, his hand having had enough of being in the cold. It was troubling, knowing that his sister was alone because of that intense belief. It wasn't as though she didn't have guys who'd warm her bed if she wanted; it was because Sarah couldn't be with someone who couldn't believe in her.

Toby remembered the pale-haired man who'd been with her when she'd come tearing into the dorm like the devil itself was on her feet, convinced that he was in some sort of danger. The man had looked human enough, seemed to believe his sister enough. On a leap of faith, he'd decided to entrust his sister to him, at least on a temporary basis.

There was a strange, hissing sound behind him and Toby gave a half-turn, frowning faintly. What he saw caused his knees to turn to jelly and his stride to falter.

The creature behind him was tall, dark, hideous. It seemed to swallow the light around it, it's several large, reflective black eyes fixed upon him. It's arms were long, gangly, it's legs had a reverse joint at the knee. It moved awkwardly towards him, it's breaths hissing in and out from between some teeth that reminded him of a sharks.

His breath froze and he backed away a step. "What the fuck are you..." he managed, just as the thing lunged towards him.

Toby wasn't certain how he managed to move. His legs didn't feel like they had bones in them, his head was swimming, his stomach felt as though bile were going to rise up from between his lips at any moment.

"Toby down!"

The cry came from nowhere, but he did as it commanded. He dropped down into a roll, getting behind the awkward monster, as something sprung up from behind it. Toby jumped to his feet and spun, finding a small, leather skinned creature clinging to it's back, tearing into the beast with claw and fang.

The small creature gave a valiant fight. Unfortunately, it was significantly smaller than the monster. Eventually, a large, clawed hand wrapped around a small throat and there was a sound that reminded Toby of what rocks being ground into pebbles might sound. The small creature – goblin, his mind provided – went limp and Toby knew it was dead.

"Feast..." the monster hissed softly, and began...eating...it.

Toby felt bile rise in his throat and gripped the now burning hot talisman from where it rested in his pocket. With a scream of fury, denial, fear, he lunged towards the monster, pressing his sister's favorite amulet into the mouth of the beast. Wrapping one arm around it's jaw, he forced the beast to swallow it.

An unnatural scream echoed through the quad, and Toby was sent flying to the ground when a large hand knocked him away. The monster moved towards him, it's movements swift, but growing slower, growing more awkward as it advanced, until seconds before it would have been upon him, it collapsed.

Toby rolled out of the way as it hit the ground, coming up on his hands and knees. He barely noticed his hands shaking, his stomach tying itself into tense knots. After a moment, the monster began dissolving into black smoke. When it was finally gone, all that remained was an amethyst amulet carved with a Celtic trifecta. Toby wrapped his hand tightly around Sarah's gift, and bent over, heaving up what remained of his lunch on the concrete walkway.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sarah meandered for what might have been an hour or might have been only minutes. It saddened her that there was no one she felt she could trust with all of her secrets. There hadn't been a man in her life in so long, and having the two argue with each other as though they were two rams, about to butt heads in order to have the right to mount her didn't exactly get her all hot and wet.

She really didn't know what to do. Sam was her friend, but like so many others he was proving that he couldn't believe in something he couldn't see. Jareth didn't exactly believe her, after all, he knew things like goblins and magic existed in the world. One she could spend days trying to convince and still wouldn't understand, the other could tell her about having tea with a dragon, and she wouldn't be certain if it was a joke or not.

It was an unfortunate result of being who she was that she always found herself doubting the intentions of the men in her life. She sighed, preparing to return to the restaurant she'd left both men at.

Quite suddenly, she felt a strange sensation, akin to someone trailing their hands lightly through the back of her hair. It caused goosebumps to raise over her entire body and she stopped walking. She inclined her head to the side as though she heard something outside the range of normal hearing and her lips parted. Within moments, the blood drained from her face.

"_Toby_," she whispered, panic nearly flooring her.

Unfortunately, now was not the time to panic, nor was it a good time to lose her faculties. Just as the pieces slipped into place and she had the barest moment to feel weak in the knees, she saw familiar, awkwardly moving shapes in the mist. She turned back the way she'd come and found more, all shuffling towards her. There were at least four.

Shit, _shit!_ She was outside her wards, away from her defenses, and living in a state where it was _not_ okay to carry concealed. Well, this day just kept getting better and better. She reminded herself to kick her brothers ass for getting into trouble later, then sent out a mental cry to the one person she thought might hear her.

Then, she backed into an alley, gripping her rapidly warming talismans, as though they'd keep the beasts off of her. Her hand found a decent sized piece of steel re bar and she lifted it in defense. She heard shuffling at her side and looked down, finding a small goblin standing at her side. It had it's claws bared in defense and was growling in a threatening manner. "Lady stay behind. Grummie protect."

She felt brick behind her, keeping a tight grip on her only weapon, then released a shuddering breath. "Jareth, where the hell are you...?"

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It was rather suddenly that the headache from two separate summonings at once hit Jareth. One a call to mourning, the other a call to help. He'd remained at the restaurant, waiting patiently for Sarah's return, while he and Sam had a staring competition, each telling the other to stay away from Sarah without words.

He had always noticed that a mild headache accompanied a summons, however he'd never been hit with two simultaneously. He put a hand to his head, his brow scrunching in pain. "Farth is dead..." he breathed, summoning a crystal and peering into it, his lips pulled into a frown. He barely noticed Sam's eyes bugging out slightly in shock. He saw Toby retching, kneeling in the grass, the remains of the goblin lying in the grass a short distance away. There really weren't many 'remains' left. Still, at least the boy was still alive...

He turned his attention towards the other summons and his stomach dropped out. Sarah, surrounded by darkness, Grummie at her side looking to defend the chosen queen. "Sarah..." he breathed, then realized she wouldn't have any weapons on her person, save, perhaps the rusted looking piece of metal in her hands. That wouldn't do much against monsters who were looking to kill and eat her.

Jareth's eyes snapped towards the chief of police and his eyes narrowed. "You carry some manner of weapon, correct?"

"I'd be a bleeding idiot not to-"

Jareth didn't wait until the sentence was finished. He jerked off a glove, set a bare hand over Sam's and in the next moment used his magic to transport them to Sarah's side.

They were only just in time. Jareth threw up a protective shield when the monster's lunged, even as the small goblin lunged towards the first beast, claws tearing into the monster's neck. The rest of the whispers hit the shield and snarled in anger. "We feed..."

He staggered a bit when he felt them begin consuming the energy he was using to put up the shield and knew it would fail quickly. "Sam, I advise you make use of whatever side arm you carry!" He glanced back, finding the cop staring at the monsters in horror. Evidentially, a change in tactics was required. "SARAH! Get his weapon!"

She was already moving, grabbing the six shooter from the man's side harness and checked the barrel, then began aiming at the monsters beyond him. Grummie finished off the first one with a spray of black gore, however, before he could move to the next one, a monster tore him off of the corpse, then bit his arm off. Jareth winced in sympathy for the creature, but did not move, continuing to pour energy into the shield. A moment later, heat rushed past the head of the Goblin King, hitting the monster eating the goblin directly between the eyes.

It went down fast.

The other monsters screamed in rage, only to be cut off by the sharp crack of the pistol. Each one got a bullet to the center of their head, until five whispers lay dead around them, the oldest corpses beginning to fade into black smoke.

Sam hadn't moved, simply stood there, obviously frozen in shock. Sarah glanced from Jareth to her friend, then gave the king a weak smile. A moment later, she took a step towards him and her knees gave out. Jareth moved forward, catching her as she slumped to the ground. "Sarah!?" He managed to stay just a hair away from being desperate. "Love, are you alright?"

She lifted her arms, wrapping them tightly around him. "Jareth..." she whispered, then pulled back, punching his shoulder. "What kept you?!" He was about to give some quirky response, when her arms went around his neck and his mind quite swiftly went on a brief vacation when he felt her lips on his own. Rather than responding to her words, to the punch, he gripped her closely and returned the affection, quite happy to forget Sam, the goblin, the dissolving whispers behind him. No, when Sarah had her lips on his, the universe condensed into that feeling, and that was all there was.

After a long moment, she pulled back and Jareth found her face pressed into his shoulder. He took a moment to catch his breath, petting the woman's hair in a comforting fashion. "Sarah, I despise being the bearer of unfortunate news, but Tobias was attacked. He's safe, but they've found him."

The only sign that she'd heard him was her hands tightening on his shirt.

Jareth looked towards the dead goblin, his lips pulled into a tight frown. "We must get out of this area. There is too good a chance that they'll find you again." He glanced towards the still stunned police officer and reached over, grabbing the man's ankle, then transported them both.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Within moments of arriving back at the house, Sarah had passed out, falling into a deep sleep. Jareth stood in the kitchen, making some of Sarah's calming tea for Sam, who was still shaken. It didn't surprise him. The Goblin King was quite accustomed to dealing with adults in shock. It rather came with the territory, so to speak.

He took the cup, moving into the living room, setting the cup before her friend, who was obviously turning these new facts over in his head. After a moment, he lifted the cup, taking a hesitant sip from it. "How is she?"

Jareth leaned back on the couch, his arm thrown over the back. He ran one hand through the hair, now free of the glamour, taking a heavy sigh. "Considering the situation, she's doing rather well. Then again, she as very resilient in the face of adversity as a girl as well..."

"Did you really know her twenty years ago?"

Jareth inclined his head, studying the man. "Sarah's story is true," he said simply, seeing the discomfort on the man's face. "She was a spoiled teenager, who would have rather have some freedom and made a terrible mistake. She went through of eleven hours of hell to get her brother back. Had her drive, her determination, wavered for even a moment, she would have lost something very dear to her."

"You wouldn't have given the boy back regardless?"

A small smirk turned up his lips. "No, Sam Samuels, I would not have. It is my duty to take those who are wished away, and as a result, I cannot simply let one go with someone who did not have the ability to regain them, regardless of my feelings for the runner." The smirk fell. "In the end, she won, and I lost more than she will ever likely realize. I've certainly no intention of telling her yet."

The chief looked baffled, frowning deeply. "Why the hell not?"

He gave Sam a biting smile. "Because currently everyone involved in this supernatural mess is very distracted by it and it's possibilities. I'll not give her yet another problem to worry about when she already has plenty."

Sam considered this for a long time. "I've never seen her cry," he mused quietly. "Most people in her office call her 'Ice-Cold Williams', and to be honest, I'd always thought there was a lot of validity in those jokes. I wonder what people would think if they knew her better. I never realized that she kept her emotions hidden – kept people away – because she felt too much."

Jareth lowered his face, his lips pulled into a frown. "I cannot tell you why she has become who she is. All I can tell anyone of is the Sarah I remember. Unfortunately, during our final confrontation, she spoke a few words that effectively banned me from her life until she called upon me to find out what I knew in regards to the murders."

The police chief nodded, his sandy brown hair dangling in his face. "Sorry to say, I don't know much either."

Another voice piped in. "If you've got questions, I've got answers."

Both men looked up to find a young man standing in the doorway, his pale blond hair awry, his skin pale, his eyes bright, piercing blue. Jareth blinked in surprise. "Tobias."

Sam looked from one man to the other and did a double take. "Fuck, you two could be related..."

Jareth chose not to answer that, instead focusing his eyes upon the brother of Sarah Williams. He swallowed hard, and forced a devil-may-care smile upon his face. "I would think after your ordeal this afternoon, you'd be indulging in some well earned drinking. If Sarah had anything besides tea and coffee, I'd be helping myself."

"Ditto, that one..." the chief of police agreed, sipping his tea.

Toby nodded. Then, a frown turned down his lips. "What ordeal?! How do you know anything happened to me?"

Sam looked between them again. "He doesn't know?"

"Sarah thought it would be prudent to not explain all the details." Jareth gestured towards a seat. "I could summon in some high quality ale from home, but I'm afraid it's likely been depleted by now. Goblins and all that."

Toby stared at him for a long moment and the king of the goblins watched it click on the boy's face. "You're him, the one Sarah always told stories about. You're the Goblin King."

"Stories you say?" He chuckled. "Yes, Tobias, I'm the Goblin King she wished you away to twenty years ago. From the group we've got together here, I'd say we each know a small piece of Sarah Williams. Perhaps we should sit down and try to put her puzzle back together..."

All of the men, in agreement began telling the story that they knew about the woman sleeping, unknowing, in her bedroom...

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Waking was not something Sarah Williams really cared to do after getting into yet another fight with multiple whispers and having to use a friends weapon in order to protect people she cared about. It took her barely conscious brain several minutes to realize she'd lumped Jareth into that group of people as easily as she did her brother. Easier than she did Sam, who was a friend.

She'd known for ages that most men wouldn't be able to handle being with someone who was as firmly grounded in the belief in the other realms as she was. Jareth, being from those realms, didn't belittle her for her beliefs, didn't tell her to get her head out of the clouds. He made her feel things that both terrified and exhilarated her in equal measure.

He was both dream and nightmare. For some strange reason, she was comfortable with that.

Attempting to puzzle out her feelings regarding the man would inevitably drive her insane, so she climbed out of bed, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. She wasn't certain what to expect when she entered her living room, but finding her co-worker, nightmarish hero, and little brother laughing and talking like old friends certainly wasn't it.

Since when were Sam and Jareth so buddy-buddy, anyways?

She moved farther into the room, and it was the mis-matched gaze of the Goblin King that focused upon her first. He stood, moving towards her. She felt a tad self-conscious as every other set of eyes in the room followed him.

"Feeling better?" he asked quietly, his voice oddly gentle. After a long moment, she lifted her gaze, gave him a weak smile and a shrug, then walked past him. She moved straight towards her little brother, her eyes searching his.

"I'm okay, Sarah," the boy promised, his lips in a faint smile. "That amulet packs more punch than you'd think." He fished it from his coat pocket and placed it on her palm. "I crammed it down the fucker's throat. It probably needs cleansed. I'd try, but I'd probably botch it."

Tears filled Sarah's eyes and she wrapped her arms around his head, hugging her baby brother tightly. She couldn't find words, simply wet her younger brother's hair. Gentle hands, encased in leather rested on her shoulders, guiding her towards a chair.

"Sit down, precious. Toby, go make her a cup of tea if you please. Sam, go help Toby." Sarah glanced towards her friend and saw him open his mouth to object. Jareth simply turned and looked at the man. "Do as I say." The last sentence came out an order, and Sam, being intelligent, knew better than to disobey, lest he be turned into some form of critter.

Once the room was empty save the two of them, Jareth sat beside her, lowering his voice. "Sarah, I know you're frightened. For now, the best thing we can do is prepare for what is to come. Six out of fourteen are dead. There are eight more that are going to come looking for what is destroying their brethren. For the sake of the children in your realm and my own goblins...we need you to be strong."

Slowly, she lifted her face, looking at him. "Jareth, I can do this, I can make it through it. You now I can."

"It is why I came back," he acknowledged.

"But sometimes...I need a few minutes to feel weak, scared, and sorry for myself." She watched a smile split his face and wondered if he knew how devastating he was when he did. "I'll do everything in my power to help you," she promised, her hand reaching and gently cupping his cheek.

The smile slid off his face and something far more serious took shape there. "The feeling is mutual, precious," he said as softly. She watched in puzzlement as he divested himself of one of his gloves and laid his hand gently over hers, his eyes closing as though he relished the contact. When those orbs re-opened, she found herself pinned by the intensity of his gaze, something magical and frightening and enchanting burning deep within him.

That single look caused something that had been swirling around in the darkest corners of her psyche to break free, and she was nearly blown away as she realized the depths of the feelings she had for him. "Jareth, I..."

Two throats cleared near the kitchen door, and the moment was skillfully shattered by her brother coming and sitting down beside her and Sam sitting in the chair across from them, a speculative look on his face. Sarah lowered her face to keep the others from seeing the dark flush that formed, even as Jareth's hand came up and rested around her shoulders.

"Drink your tea, precious." The command was gently given, but it was a command still. "Let us all discuss the next step..."

Sarah lifted the cup, trying to ignore the almost interested looks on the face of friend and family as she snuggled into the side of the Goblin King. "Yes...let's."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: So...I really genuinely did plan on having some general discovery regarding the tattoo, as well as Sarah's choice in occupation...but the muses grabbed the story and took it out of my hands ^^; Besides, one of those conversations is better for the heroine to have with her man in private...^.-_

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; for your support and encouragement, as well as your kind words. I'm forgoing the shoutouts this chapter (sorry to those who enjoy them). I'm just mentally not able to deal with them right now ^^; Love you all to pieces, Chibi/Saya_


	8. Chapter 7

AN: Sorry for the delay, everyone. To those of you who already know about the drama, go ahead and disregard the further comments. To those of you who do not, I no longer have my trusty laptop. I have had to retire the beast (though more accurately, it quit on me...) and now have only my brother in law or my husband's computer to rely upon. I primarily use Juji's (the BIL) for artwork, and my husband's for writing. It is proving to be an adventure, so forgive what poor grammar there may be. It is likely due to the keyboard...

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Seven

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

It was two in the morning when they were done making their quiet plans and finally started getting everyone tucked into bed. Toby and Sam were given the guest room and it's two twin beds, while Jareth was given her couch. It had actually been an argument, because she had originally intended for Jareth to take her bed while she slept on the couch, but it was something Jareth objected to, so she was in her bed.

Alone.

Sarah watched the minutes tick away on her clock and sighed in exhaustion and frustration. Once they were under the supervision of her brother and co-worker, Jareth had kept his hands well enough to himself, had kept a respectable distance away from her. She knew he was trying to lay low, to not set off the other males who were attached to her, but dammit, it was her life and her bed and if she wanted him in it-

Then why the hell wasn't she doing something about it?

Slowly, Sarah sat, biting her thumbnail in irritation. Perhaps she could get him in there under the guise of checking on his wound. It was funny, she'd always imagined that he would heal really quickly, what with him being magic and all. Still, he seemed to be progressing at a frighteningly slow rate.

Possibly because he was in her realm?

She eased herself off of the bed, wincing at the almost deafeningly loud creak as she moved. Every movement she made seemed to be twenty times louder than normal, even her breaths seemed too noisy. She crept into the living room and saw the Goblin King laying with his back facing to her room and from where she stood, she could see the faint red on his shirt, likely from where he'd begun bleeding through the bandage.

Once at his side, she gently pulled his shirt from his pants and lifted it. What she saw almost made her scream. She dropped the shirt and scooted back from him, hand covering her mouth. She must have made some manner of noise, because Jareth reacted instantly, rolling onto his belly and giving a threatening snarl. It startled her so bad she yelped, tears filling her eyes.

It seemed to take a moment to recognize her. When he did, he swore, moving swiftly towards her. "Sarah, Precious, what is it? You should be sleeping..."

Her eyes teared and she fisted his hands in his shirt as the first tear fell. "Your back...why is your skin turning black, Jareth? It's growing, and the scratches...they've gotten longer..."

His face grew grim and he stood, offering her a hand, then sat upon the couch, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Sarah, do you remember when I told you to treat the bleeding and not the malignancy?" At her nod, he gave her a faintly sad smile. "I have remained quiet about this for quite awhile, but I suppose it is time to tell you how the Whispers came into existence."

He went quiet for a moment, simply stroking her back. "A long time ago, a king before I was king decided to experiment with biological weaponry. He took a strain of several diseases that this realm will never see and crossed them into something that spread through physical contact. He contracted the disease himself, as did more than half of the goblin population. Eventually it began to spread and the Underground finally realized that this was not specific towards a race. It would infect everything if something was not done. These beasts attacked and killed many in the Underground, but in every instance where the victim was attacked and not killed, they became one of these abominations. A whisper of what they had been."

Sarah stared at him in horror, gripping his shoulders. "Jareth...do you mean-"

"I have been infected," he said with a sad smile. "The in between realm that they exist in was created as a prison, to keep others from being infected. Humans needn't worry about infection through contact, however. Only creatures of magical descent can be, so you and your friends will be safe. Provided that you can do what must be done when the time comes."

She realized with a jolt what he was asking of her and she shook her head in denial. "Jareth-"

He fisted a hand in her hair, holding her head still, looking at her fiercely. "If I go over, I will not remember you or Toby. I will become one of them, driven to consume magic. If you cannot kill me, Sarah, I will kill you, I will kill your brother, your friend. Yes, even Sam. I had to touch him in order for him to see the whispers. So I ask you to do this for me: kill me before the last trace of Jareth is gone."

Tears filled her eyes and she pressed her face into his shoulder. "Did you know this might happen?"

He smiled sadly. "I would heal better in my own realm from minor scratches. I realized I was infected after the last fight. The first one I was mostly protected by your home and the circle you cast. It was a risk. It always is when dealing with whispers."

She lifted her face, fisted her hands in his hair. Without a word, she pressed her lips against against his, hoping that he wouldn't ask questions, wouldn't try to stop her. Leather clad fingers gripped her at the hips and he pulled her closer, his lips pressing up into hers, his mouth opening to invite her in. Her hands gripped the edge of his shirt and she pulled it off, over his head, breaking the kiss only long enough to free him of it.

He panted softly, his hands catching her shoulders as he stared at her face for a long moment. "Why, Sarah?"

She didn't think she could answer him, so she tried to steal another kiss, but he held her away just a bit. She took a shuddering breath, lowering her head. "Because I want to," she said quietly. "Please, even if it's just once, please..."

His hand released her shoulder, cupping the side of her face, easing it up. He looked down at her tears in surprise and he leaned forward, his tongue cleaning them away. After a moment, he withdrew, his eyes warm. "Not here, darling. Not after I've had twenty years of fantasies. Not here."

She yelped softly as he slipped an arm around her shoulders and the other beneath her knees and stood with a fluid motion. He moved swiftly and silently through her home, into her bedroom and with the wave of a hand, closed the door behind him. His hands easily removed her shirt, then skimmed her flannel pants and lace panties down her legs. She fisted her hands in his hair as he placed a soft kiss upon her stomach, just below her belly button. She whispered his name softly, drawing his attention back up to her face and she went down to her knees as well, leaning forward to untie the laces on his breeches.

She felt his hands lightly caress the small of her back and she blushed as those soft fingers caressed the design there. Of course he would notice it.

"You must have been paying very close attention, precious," he said softly. "Even I could not have sketched out a more perfect rendering of the medallion, and I wear it every day." His hand flattened against it, the other pulling her up against his body. "Why did you trace my symbol on your body?"

She lowered her gaze shyly. "Karen and dad wouldn't let me get a tattoo. When I turned eighteen, I went to get one and this...seemed right. You did so much for me and...I..."

Gently, he rested his fingers against her lips and then tilted her face up so he could look down at her. "I am quite pleased that you did not forget me. Sarah," he slid his naked hands around her, up her sides, helping her to her feet, "let me love you."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and nodded.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"How did you come to be a coroner, Sarah," Jareth had asked, his face turned up into a smile. He lay back on her bed, his arms around her waist, keeping her close to his side. She could feel his skin against hers from shoulder all the way down to her ankles. She felt warm, content. Happy.

She looked up at him, giving a faint smile. "I studied to be a doctor in college. I did and still do drama on the side, but it's so much fun I would hate to ruin it by making it a career. Then..." she trailed off, growing quiet for a moment. "Darrel was fun, exciting. He didn't mind hanging out with geeky Sarah Williams. He drew me out of my shell at college, and honestly, it's thanks to him that I had any friends at all. Eventually, I began hanging out with who he considered the wrong crowd. A group of practicing witches. He scoffed at magic, at them, and I finally explained to him that I believed in magic, and that I wouldn't stop hanging out with them for him.

He left me. We were in our second to last year at medical school, living together. I came home from classes and he was just gone. Had packed his things and moved out while I was away. I kept at it in school, but I had decided the living were too much trouble. I worked as a hospital for a long time, down in the morgue, dealing with the dead and I realized that the dead can't judge you. They are silent listeners, who I could tell my problems to, problems I couldn't even tell my parents or brother." She laughed softly. "I bet you think it's silly-"

He gave her a sad smile. "Actually, precious, I was rather thinking that our jobs are quite similar." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "I am half-goblin, half-fae. The product of rape, actually. My fae father decided to use one of the goblin servants for fun, and she wound up pregnant. I was a scandal. I was proof that two races that were considered incompatible could have viable offspring. The fae didn't want me, so the goblins took me. They had always feared the fae, however, and when I began displaying fae powers, they grew afraid of me. As a result, I was 'elected' king." He chuckled. "I like to think that over time my subjects realized there is much more goblin in me than fae..."

He trailed off and when she looked up, she found the Goblin King asleep, that contented smile still upon his thin lips.

Gently, she reached up, tracing his lips. "I will do what has to be done, but I swear, if there is anything I might be able to do to help you...I will do it. I will find a way to cleanse this malignancy from you if it kills me in the process." She bit her lip lightly, then leaned closer to his face, brushing her lips against his jaw before she settled in, hugging him tightly.

She dozed off just as the sun began to rise.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Jareth woke nearly an hour before anyone else in the house. He supposed it was quite fortunate that he needed so little sleep. It gave him an opportunity to slip, unseen from Sarah's room and collect his shirt. He took a brief shower and dressed himself once again, having summoned clean clothing from his own closet. Afterwards, he wandered down to the kitchen, starting Sarah's preferred coffee, as well as digging through her fridge for an egg to fry.

Sam was the next up, claiming to be summoned by the scent of coffee, followed by Toby. It worried him that Sarah was still sleeping, this late into the day. He finally caved, heading into her bedroom, ignoring the inquiries from the houses other two current occupants. He was surprised to find Sarah standing in the center of the room, not moving, simply standing.

"Sarah," he called gently, hoping not to startle her.

She turned towards him and he saw a fierce determination in her eyes. "Sam and Toby don't need to know," she said evenly.

"About last night?"

"About the scratch."

His eyes widened in surprise and he opened his mouth to object, but she stepped towards him, trembling fingers resting lightly upon his lips. "I will do what you ask, Jareth. But only if there is no other alternative. I will be looking for one. I just got you back into my life. I'll be damned if I let you leave it again."

He took her hand, pressing a soft kiss at the back. "While I admire your fierce defiance in the face of my mortality-"

"Don't argue." She stepped towards him, turning her hand in his. "I want you to promise me, Jareth. Believe in me like I believe in you. I _will_ find a way. So don't give up the ghost yet."

He sighed softly, pulling her head against his chest. "Love, when could I ever deny you anything you asked of me?"

She closed her eyes tightly, fisting one hand in his shirt. "Alright, then. Let's get this show on the road."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

The shop was small, almost invisible unless you knew what you were looking for. A small image fox holding a crystal ball adorned the small sign, and the scent of incense wafted from the open windows. The owners, Jeff and Serena Graves lived above the shop, and they were the only shop in town that catered to any alternative religion.

Sarah also knew them by name and vice versa.

Sam looked uncomfortable entering the shop. Toby looked curious. Jareth, naturally, stepped in and appeared instantly at home. But Sarah knew where she was going. She moved directly behind the counter, embracing the woman who was only slightly older than her tightly. "Serena."

"Sarah, darling, it's been so long!" The other woman returned the embrace, smiling brightly. The girl's auburn hair hung in wild curls around her shoulders and her hazel eyes lit up with happiness. "What brings you here, you haven't been around of late."

"Hope and necessity." She pulled her .22 out of her bag and set it on the counter. "I need new ammunition, pronto. The usual order."

Serena looked at her and lifted a hand, holding it above Sarah's forehead. "Do you mind?"

"Mind where you poke," Sarah said calmly, letting her friend apply her Sight. Moments later, her hand jerked back and she looked petrified. "Yeah, I know. Trouble follows me like Jeremy Myers posse back in med school. If you'll go into the back with me, I'll fill you in-"

"Sarah, you have dealings with the faery realms?" Serena kept her voice in a lower whisper.

A sad smile. "I wont for long if I can't find a way to fix him..." She grabbed her friend's arm, dragging her into the back. Jeff was leaned over a table. "Don't mind me, Jeff. I need some ammo, you mind?"

Jeff, who was quiet, only glanced up and gave her a brief nod.

Sarah turned toward her best female friend and gripped her friends arms. "I need your help. I hate asking, you know that, but you were always better at diagnosis than me. Your gift helped. He's just...I don't know what to do and if I can't help him, I have to kill him, because he'll become one of _them_, and I just can't, Ser, I can't-"

"Slow down, Sarah." Her friend took her hands gently. "I haven't seen you this spun up over a man in quite some time."

She sagged. "That's just it. He's the man. The first, my first, and if I have to kill him, he'll be my last, too..."

"You love him."

Hearing someone else voice it caused something inside her to settle and Sarah closed her eyes tightly. "Yes." Tears filled her eyes and she clung to her friend, holding her tightly as the other girl tried to soothe here.

"Alright, darling, I'll see what I can do..."

Once she'd collected herself, they returned to the main part of the store, finding Sam still looking uncomfortable, Toby busily inspecting some Tarot cards, and Jareth...Sarah wanted to laugh when her eyes found him.

He had found the crystal ball display and was rolling the crystal spheres around on his hands with skill and precision. He had actually managed to attract the attention of a few of the other shoppers, who were watching, mesmerized. A few of the ladies were moving towards him, almost in a trance. Sarah moved to intercept. "While I can sympathize, the glittery jerk is spoken for."

Jareth nearly dropped the crystal in surprise, glancing towards her. "Am I, precious?"

"Most certainly." Sarah watched as the disappointed ladies began to disperse. She glanced back towards him, watching as he set the crystals he'd been toying with back in their rightful place.

"Does that mean that you are spoken for as well?"

"Suppose so..." she agreed.

Jareth slanted her a wicked smile. "You realize this will make Sam most unhappy." The smile slid off his face when Serena stepped around the display, looking at him intently. "I thought you'd managed to scare off all of those ladies. It appears you missed one-"

"Jareth, this is a college friend of mine, Serena. Serena, this is Jareth, King of the Goblins." Sarah watched her friend closely. Those hazel eyes didn't leave her lover's face. Then, she glanced towards Jareth. "You can drop the glamour. She has Sight."

Jareth let it flicker and then dropped it, his lips turned into a faint frown.

Serena inclined her head, moving around him, tapping her chin. "Alright, bring him back. I'll see what I can do."

"Sarah-"

"Just go, please." Sarah wrapped her arm around his. "I'll be right behind you. I'm going to check on Sam and Tobes." She moved away from him, making sure he went into the back. She moved towards Sam, who was now getting curious about the talismans and amulets which hung over the register. Beneath those were rings and such. Toby had left the cards and was now at the oils and incense. She moved towards him. "Toby, could you hang around a little longer and make sure Sam doesn't leave, either. This store has great protections on it, so we're safe here. I'll be in the back."

Toby gave a nod and a wave, then went back to his perusing, and she relayed the same message to Sam before returning to the Goblin King's side. He'd already been bullied by her friend into removing his shirt and Sarah watched as the girl pulled back the bandage.

"Hm, nasty magic. Whoever made this was one sick puppy..." She walked towards her drawer of medical supplies and lifted a syringe, attempting to inject the needle into his arm. She yelped when the needle broke, instead. "What's your skin made of, titanium?" She asked, frowning deeply.

"No, I assure you, I generally cut as easily as any human."

Sarah looked worriedly at his back, noticing that the malignancy was still spreading. It now covered more than half of his back. She glanced towards Serena, who was cheerfully moving onto trying other things. "Maybe it was the iron. That is surgical grade steel. Hm..." She dug through her other supplies and then pulled out something else. "Ah, this should do. Now, don't move. If I botch this, it'll break..." She pulled out a long, glass needle and held out his arm, finding a vein. She pricked the vein and took a sample of his blood before pulling out a spool of co-ban and wrapping the wound tight.

She proceeded to take several more samples, of his back, the flesh in the wound, his hair. Sarah was pretty sure that the girl wanted to take fingernail clippings as well.

She was just finishing up when Jeff wandered downstairs, holding two magazines of bullets, as well as a small box for ammunition. She took them, slipped the first magazine in her .22, then slipped the rest into her purse.

"Where are you guys going after this?" Serena asked, pulling off her latex gloves and looking at them seriously.

"We were going to grab a bite, then go back to my place-"

Serena lightly set a hand on Sarah's head and shook her head. "No, Sarah. You and your friends and your lover are going to remain here until after lunch. Well after lunch."

Sarah didn't have to ask. Jareth, however, who did not know Serena, did. "I would much prefer to return to Sarah's home. Her wards are strong, and her home is well protected-"

He would have continued, but Sarah put a restraining hand upon his arm. "Serena has Sight, Jareth. Not just the ability to See the past, but also to See the future. She always touches her friends before they travel, in order to help them. If she says we stay, then we stay, because leaving means that I would die."

Jareth looked at her stunned as she left the room, moving towards where Toby and Sam were. After a moment, he turned his gaze towards Jeff, who was standing off to the side, quiet. "Is that true?"

Finally, Jeff spoke. "Serena told Sarah three years ago to spend the night. I asked her why. She said she saw Sarah get hit by a drunk driver and pinned, dying inside her car. The next day, we learned that a drunk driver crashed his car a block from her house."

The Goblin King took a deep breath and nodded. "Very well, I suppose that we stay, then..."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Lunch at their home was actually a surprisingly lively affair, with Sam and Jeff having a rather quiet debate about magic and religion, Jareth and Toby utilizing the families game system, and Sarah and Serena playing catch up. Often, Sarah's eyes were drawn towards Jareth, and vice versa.

"He is a good match," Serena said quietly to her. "He suits you much better than Darrel did."

Sarah looked towards her in surprise. Then, her lips turned up into a sad smile. "You always knew that he would leave me, didn't you."

"From the first time we shook hands," Serena agreed, her voice sad. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."

She shook her head. "I'm better for it. I wish you could tell me if you can save him."

Serena lowered her head, sighing softly. "So do I. But I can't. Even if I did, that doesn't guarantee the result. I can only See the path you're on right now. Any deviations from it might result in a different ending. I only hope that I can see do this for you."

Sarah swirled her tea in her cup and drank the rest, then set the cup down upside down in the saucer and turned it three times. With a wicked grin, she flipped the cup back over and gave her friend a wink, then stood. "I should get back. We'll have to leave the safety of your home eventually, friend-mine, and if it's my destiny to die today, then there's not much I can do about that."

Serena gently touched her forehead and smiled. "The path has changed. Walk your new one with confidence, my friend."

"Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again."

"Many blessings on you and yours," her friend returned, and then they parted.

Serena watched her friend gather her group of family and friends and leave. Once they were gone, she looked towards Jeff and sighed. "We need more. Could you call the others? I always made them uncomfortable..."

Jeff leaned over and gently kissed his wife's lips and gave her a smile just for her. "Love, Sarah has given everyone her best. They will all give in return. Just tell me who to call, and I'll make sure they get the message."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

They made it back to Sarah's home without incident, and Sarah got her brother and friend tucked into the spare bedroom, then took Jareth's hand, leading her into her own once again. She pulled her blouse off, going through the mundane motions of getting ready for bed, when Jareth draped something around her neck and it settled upon her collar bone.

She looked down and found his medallion around her neck and she looked up at him in curiosity.

"I had planned on giving it to you a long time ago...twenty years, in fact," he said quietly. "I never had the chance."

She took his hands in her own, squeezing them tightly. "It looks better on you. Besides, I don't want gifts. I want you."

He looked pained for a moment, then took her hands in his, kissing them gently. "You have always had me. Come, Sarah-mine. Let us go explore the more creative uses of your plumbing."

She gave a soft giggle and nodded, letting him wrap her in her bathrobe and take her to the bathroom.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: Sorry for the long wait. As mentioned at the top, my computer decided to die on me not too long ago, and this is one of the first times I've had the desire or opportunity to work on it..._


	9. Chapter 8

AN: Sorry for the delay, everyone. To those of you who already know about the drama, go ahead and disregard the further comments. To those of you who do not, I no longer have my trusty laptop. I have had to retire the beast (though more accurately, it quit on me...) and now have only my brother in law or my husband's computer to rely upon. I primarily use Juji's (the BIL) for artwork, and my husband's for writing. It is proving to be an adventure, so forgive what poor grammar there may be. It is likely due to the keyboard...

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Eight

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sarah startled awake that night, finding her wards around her home glowing bright blue. She didn't call out in shock, didn't react in any way that would alert Jareth or the others in the house to the possible danger. She simply rose out of her bed, retrieved her gun from the box on her bedside table and moved out of the bedroom, into the main living area.

Here, she could feel everything more clearly. They were trying to eat away at her houses barriers. They were outside, feeding on her own protective measures.

"Tricky little bastards," she muttered. Luckily, they couldn't feed off all of the magic quickly, because it had many years of ceremonies, gatherings, and simple prayer reinforcing them. When the wards turned black, then she needed to worry. For now, everything was fine.

They just couldn't leave the house now. At all. She shivered, hugging herself. How the hell was she supposed to get back to Serena's home if Jareth suddenly started losing the battle with the malignancy? How could she help him if they were locked down to the house?

More importantly, how many of them were there?

Sarah closed her eyes, sending a mental sweep along the edge of the property, finding that her exterior barriers along the property line had already been consumed. She walked towards the phone and lifted it, dialing her friend. It rang twice before it was answered by an alert sounding Serena. "What's wrong, Sarah?"

She didn't ask how the other woman knew it was her. "We're trapped in the house. My barrier symbols are glowing like neon signs. I only count five or six here."

There was a long moment of silence. "There are three here," her friend said quietly. "Our protections are strong enough to protect us, Sarah. Worry about you and yours." There was a pause for a long moment, and then she spoke again. "Should we send over some people?"

Sarah smiled faintly. "They're good people, but they're not life you and Jeff. They wouldn't see anything there, and they might pay the price for trying to help us. No, don't send them. I'll get out of this mess, I'm good at that. You take care of yourself. Your store has plenty of things that will zap them back to their own realm should they try to get inside. Make sure Jeff has his gun ready."

"It's been propped on his shoulder for the past hour."

The smile broadened. "Good man."

"Yours, too."

A sigh escaped her. "Alright, Serena. I'm going now. Best of luck."

"Back at you."

Sarah hung up the phone and took a deep breath. A moment later, two arms went around her. Jareth's voice tickled her ear. "They're here."

She nodded, touching his hands. "We can't hide in here forever. I'm not good at playing damsel in distress. We need to make a plan and we need to cut these bastards off at the knee."

His hands slowly turned her towards him and she saw the warm affection in his eyes. "Very well, precious. I will wake Sam and Tobias. We will each do what we can." He leaned down and brushed his lips gently across hers, then released her, walking away.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Seated in the living room of Sarah's house, Toby and Sam were both drinking large cups of coffee while trying very hard to wake up. Sarah was a proverbial flurry of movement, digging through closets for things that could be used as weapons and Jareth watched her quietly, ignoring the growing pain in his back.

He didn't have much longer before the malignancy took over and he turned against those in the house. He would likely have to use the last of his magic to transport himself to the between realm, where he wouldn't be a danger to anyone. Maybe two days. The would have to deal with the monsters here, then go after the ones threatening Sarah's friend, and only then would he be able to do what he had to.

Sarah had already made it clear that she could not do what he asked of her. She was too deeply vested in him, something that had him both ecstatic as well as terribly saddened. He would know her love for such a short amount of time, then he would be gone. Jareth would no longer exist. He did not know what she thought she could do with her psychic friend, however if the Underground could not find a cure for something like this, how on earth could mortals in the Above?

The determined woman was digging through her altar box, through several other things, and all he could do was simply watch her. He did not know how to soften the blow, how to explain to her that she would be alright, that she did not really need him. She had survived twenty years without him, and so her affection for him could not yet be strong enough that it would hurt her so desperately. She simply could not stop being a heroine, even for him.

The past evenings had given him memories to hold onto, but he would lose them regardless.

He could only pray for one more evening, one more night at her side, because after that, he was reasonably sure that he would start losing the fight.

Sarah set a large heap of things down on the coffee table and then she looked around at them. "Alright," she began, taking a deep breath as she sat at his side. He felt her leg press up against him and he could feel her body trembling, even though she gave no outward signs of her fear. "We have my athame, which will pack enough punch that one well placed blow will turn a whisper to dust. My .22 is useful because the ammunition is blessed in several different manners before I get it, but any gun can drop one, if you know how to use it. Various knives from the kitchen. Black salt, white salt, sage water, holy water that was a gift from a Catholic friend of mine. My amulets evidentially are bad when ingested..."

Toby reached out and took the athame, turning it over in his hand a few times. "I took knife fighting lessons for fun a few years back. If we douse the edge with your sage water, that should make it a bit more brutal."

Sarah nodded. "Since it's you, I'll be adding a good bit more power into that, too."

Sam patted his holster, then pulled out his spare piece. "How much of that special ammo do you have? My spare is a .22."

"Jeff gave me a box of thirty-two and two eight round magazines." She smiled grimly. "It's twice my usual year round supply. I keep a box of fifty standard .22 ammo in my room, so we'll each have a magazine of high octane and a magazine of regular."

Sam nodded.

Jareth leaned back, looking at her things, noticing that a revulsion towards them was already setting in. "I have my own magic. I can create a death spell that can turn them into nothing in moments. Besides that, I'm also physically the strongest."

Sarah reached over, resting her hand against his own. "Alright...I'm going to have to break the circle in the house so I can let them in. I don't want to meet them off of my turf. So I want everyone to brace themselves. Jareth, stay with me."

He stood as she did, watching as she slipped the gun into the waist of her pants, and the spare magazines in each pocket. The other two began loading down with amulets, even as Jareth followed her into the entry. "Sarah," he entreated softly.

She paused, turning towards him. "Yes?"

He took her hand, pulling her close and leaned down, kissing her gently. "I want to tell you this before this fight. It is something you deserve to know."

"That you love me?"

He looked down at her, stunned, simply staring at her softly smiling face. "You knew?"

"When a man as fashion conscious as you leaves the house without shoes on because a girl called out to him, I'd say you feel pretty strongly for them." He was horrified to feel heat rushing to his cheeks. She just gave him a saucy smile and leaned up, kissing him just as gently. "If it makes you feel better, I love you, too."

He laughed faintly, embracing the infuriating girl with care, pressing his face into her hair. "It does that, precious." He released her and took a step back. It also gave him one more thing to fight for. "Do what you must."

She nodded, taking a bucket of white primer and brush, she painted over the barrier that covered her front door. "We have about ten seconds before they notice and come down on us like an anvil. Let's get back."

"No shields?"

She shook her head. "Not for this. I want them to think that they've got us by the balls."

"Such a colorful picture," he commented, easing around the corner at the edge of the entry, putting himself between them and Sarah. However, she stepped directly into the walkway, her hand on the gun. "Sarah, what are you doing?"

"Have you ever seen a starving man at an all you can eat buffet?"

Just then, the front door burst down and the first whisper came barreling down on her. Her gun was out and she aimed it at the monster's head, pulling the trigger four times.

It went to ground at her feet and she spun around the corner. She sagged against the wall a bit, taking a deep breath. "The hungriest one was going to be the first one through that door. Meaning, all it was going to see was the food, not the gun in the victim's hand."

He nodded, pulling her farther into the house. Her wards had finally started to turn black, due to her breaking the continuous circle. "Well, you sufficiently terrified me. Let's not do that again, hm?" They joined Sam and Toby in the living room and they stood in a circle facing outwards, within a circle of holy water that Toby had sprinkled.

Sarah clutched his right hand in her left and he could hear her chanting soft prayers. A glance towards her found her eyes wide, her face pale, and her breaths unsteady. "I will come to harm before they, Sarah," he told her softly. "Nothing will touch them as long as I still stand."

Her eyes turned towards him and he saw that didn't relieve her. "Who said it was just them I was worried about?"

He had no response to that, and he didn't have time to think of one, because the Whispers were suddenly in the room, surrounding them. There were still five there, meaning even if they all took down one apiece, there would be one that might get at their back.

"Ready?" Sarah's voice met his ear before he could determine what everyone intended on doing against the slightly uneven odds. "NOW!"

Sam and Sarah were immediately firing their guns at the nearest Whispers, Toby was at the edge of the circle, slashing. Taking a deep breath, Jareth called the little remaining magic that wasn't being used to hold off the malignancy and created a death spell, shoving it into another's face.

These were stronger, more patient. Even a full magazine of the bullets didn't seem to be enough to bring them down. Only Toby and himself managed, and Toby was dangerously close to the remaining uninjured whisper.

He could only watch as Sarah lunged as the whisper did, catching the monster around it's middle, taking herself fully out of the protective circle. "Watch my back!" she snarled towards them, pulling out a bottle of the sage water and shoving it into the monster's throat. The bottle broke, and the monster beneath her screamed in an unholy manner, until it finally went still and began dissolving.

The two remaining threw off Toby and Sam, who had been the only ones capable of obeying her, and began bearing down upon Sarah Williams. Jareth moved between them, having made a firm decision. She was more important than containing the malignancy for one more night. He released the shield he'd placed on it and used the surplus of magic to create two more spheres, shoving them into each monster's chest.

The pain in him was suddenly unbearable. He went to ground and let out a cry of complete agony. He saw the others gather around him and fisted his hands into his hair. "Sarah..." he begged. "Your promise...you must. NOW. Sarah-"

He saw realization dawn on her face and tears pierced her eyes. She lifted her gun and he could see her hands trembling fiercely.

"Sarah, what are you doing?!" Toby moved to grab her wrist, stopping her.

Sam, however, looked from her to him. "He's turning into one of them, isn't he..."

The boy looked towards the chief of police, horrified. "What?"

Sarah simply stared down at him, and Jareth gave her a faint, wicked smirk. "You promised, Sarah-mine. I wont last much longer. While there is still Jareth inside of me, while I still have my memories, put an end to me."

Her tears began to fall down her face, and she continued to hold the gun in her trembling hands. Her hands tightened on the trigger, but before she could pull it, something hit the side of his head with brutal force and his vision went completely black.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sarah's eyes jerked up to Sam, completely stunned as her friend straightened, his pistol still in his hand from knocking the Goblin King senseless on her floor. His eyes looked at her and he gave her a faint smile. "I don't like him at all," Sam said quietly. "Telling a woman who loves him to be his executioner. As if you'd ever forgive yourself." He glanced away. "I suppose this is why we went to visit those friends of yours?"

Tears still rolling down her cheeks, she threw her arms around Sam Samuels, whispering "thank you" into his ear again and again. Once she regained control of herself, she told Sam and Toby to get Jareth into her car, while she hurriedly dialed her friend. Serena sounded tart.

"Sarah, I've got whisper guts all over my store."

"Very funny, whispers don't leave guts," she said, smiling at the weak joke. "Tell me you know how to help Jareth."

There was a long silence. "I know a way."

Sarah nodded, tears dancing in her eyes once more. "We'll be there in less than an hour." She hung up the phone and headed quickly out to her car. Sam had grabbed his lights, setting them onto her dashboard, and she was grateful, as they flipped on and she tore ass out of her driveway.

The ride was essentially silent, Jareth unconscious in the back, Toby playing guard over the comatose fae, while Sam provided silent compassion in the front. Sarah couldn't stop looking into the rear view mirror, staring at the pale face, noticing the black which was now on his chest. It was spreading much faster now, almost frighteningly fast. If they didn't hurry...

No, she wouldn't think about losing him. If the time came, she would deal with it how she had to, but he wasn't gone yet.

The lights let them get there in less than thirty minutes, and she parked as quickly as she could. Sam had become frightened of her driving about two minutes into the car ride, but he'd hidden it quite well. Toby looked at her wryly as he helped Sam get Jareth out of the car. "As usual, riding with you is an educational experience."

"A little less lip. Get him inside, quickly."

Serena waited at the entrance, just past her was Jeff and their coven. Sarah was surprised to see them. Most she hadn't seen since college, others were a one time meeting where she helped them deal with something faery related. Jareth was placed inside the center circle and Serena led Sarah to it's head. "This is going to be one part medicine, one part magic." The woman told everyone, her face serious. "What we have here is a fae lord who has been infected by something similar to the AIDS virus. We'll start by magically binding the virus, and separating out as much of his natural blood as we can. After that...it gets tricky."

Sarah took her friend and brother's hands and watched as everyone, even Sam, joined into the circle. Just hold on, Jareth...she pleaded, while sending up a prayer to whatever gods might be looking down upon them.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sarah always felt weak after doing a full circle with a coven. This time was no exception, however, it appeared that Serena, who was used to it, was weary as well. There was quite a lot of black on Jareth's body now, but Serena seemed so certain. "Now, we need a volunteer who is not one of the Williams family."

Sarah blinked, looking at her friend in shock. "Why not me?"

Blue eyes lifted towards her. There was a sad smile on her lips. "Because yourself and your brother have spent time in the faery realms, and if his blood was introduced directly into your system, you would become infected by what ails him."

The room went oddly silent, and everyone else, even Jeff seemed to not wish to step forward.

When someone did, the identity of the person shocked her. Sam was rolling up his sleeves, wearing a firm look on his face. "What do I have to do?"

Selena moved towards him, gently resting a hand upon his head and her eyes widened, startled. "Everyone else out. You, too, Sarah."

Sarah cast a worried glance towards her friend, then towards the Goblin King before exiting the room, moving against the wall and sliding down it. Toby joined her a moment later, an arm around her.

Within the room, Serena closed the door, looking towards him, her face solemn. "Sam Samuels, are you certain you wish to do this? I can tell you that if you do, you will-"

He gave her a faint smile. "It's a loosing battle, right? If I don't and no one else volunteers, he'll have to die and that one'll cry. Sorry as it sounds, I know where her heart lies and it's not with me. So I'll tell you what," he lay back on the other bed, looking towards her. "Just let me keep my gun with me."

Serena nodded slightly, beginning her work. She hooked up the tubes to transfer blood from the Jareth to Sam. Giving him a small smile of encouragement, she gave the chief of police a kiss on the cheek before starting the valves. She remained in the room to monitor the progress.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening, but slowly, the blackness of the paler man's flesh began to recede and began to enter Sam. The man simply lay there, ignoring the pain, instead remembering that he was doing this for an extraordinary lady, a woman he had always been fond of, who he easily could have grown to love. He saw the man beside him begin to awaken and gripped the gun at his side. Mismatched eyes met his and he gave a tight-lipped smile.

"Take care of her," he instructed, then put the gun to his head.

Those eyes widened in shock and just as he pulled the trigger, he heard him open his mouth in objection.


	10. Chapter 9

AN: Sorry for the delay, everyone. To those of you who already know about the drama, go ahead and disregard the further comments. To those of you who do not, I no longer have my trusty laptop. I have had to retire the beast (though more accurately, it quit on me...) and now have only my brother in law or my husband's computer to rely upon. I primarily use Juji's (the BIL) for artwork, and my husband's for writing. It is proving to be an adventure, so forgive what poor grammar there may be. It is likely due to the keyboard...

A Whisper, Darkly

By: DemonSaya

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Chapter Nine

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sam was laid to rest a week later, given full respect from the police at the police station and Sarah stood at the rainy funeral, her brother at her side. Tears fell down her face, obscured by the rain.

The sound of the gun had alerted her to the fact that something was dreadfully wrong. She had burst into the room, finding Jareth staggering off of the bed he had lay upon, over towards Sam.

Still, pale, dead Sam.

She could remember screaming in denial, however everything after that was a little fuzzy. She had been helped to her car, and she knew that she had been driven home by her brother. Throughout the whole thing, she didn't remember seeing Jareth after he had moved towards where Sam had been. He hadn't been there when she'd woken the next day at her home, Toby slumped over in the chair beside her bed.

Toby didn't know where the Goblin King had gotten off to either and was more than slightly miffed with the sovereign of the goblin kingdom. He had been muttering under his breath about how he was never going to trust fluffy-haired royalty ever again.

Sarah would have laughed if she weren't so heart-bruised over the events of the past several weeks. Sam's death and Jareth's disappearance had been the icing on the cake.

Somehow, it surprised her to find that Sam had no family to attend the funeral. His mother and father were long dead and he had no siblings, no children, nothing. His co-workers didn't understand what could have prompted his suicide, but they couldn't see the black marks on his body. They weren't 'touched'.

Several officers and detectives approached her, only to check their stride and walk away when they realized that the rain wasn't the only thing dampening her face. They seemed to not want to shatter their ice-woman view of her, didn't want to believe that she could feel pain for the death of a human. After all, she was a medical examiner. The city coroner. However, she was still a human and still a woman and Sam had always been a friend.

An easy-going flirt, who had made her laugh sometimes when they worked together. He had often tried to win her affection, had listened to her, even though he didn't believe as she did, not until the truth had been thrust upon him.

She should have begged Jareth to not touch him.

The problem with the whispers was finally dealt with, however, and there had been no more gruesome deaths.

That didn't make the losses any easier.

Slowly, the crowd cleared out and Toby told her he was going to get the car. She let him leave her side and moved forward, setting a star gazer lily atop all the others. "Rest in peace, Sam. I'm sorry I couldn't love you like you wanted..." she wiped her eyes, and would have headed after her brother, but as she turned to go, she saw a man with pale blond hair standing beneath a large tree, staring in the direction of the grave.

He was wrapped in a black wool coat, and his hair was soaking, making her wonder how long he had been standing there. She moved quietly towards his side, and opened her mouth several times, false-starting, before she finally found the words. They left with explosive force. "_Why did you leave?!_"

Jareth's eyes slowly moved towards her and she noticed for the first time that he looked exhausted. He reached out a hand and would have touched her, but withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry, Sarah," he said quietly. "I did not wish to, however I had to return and inform the council of the danger. All of the most powerful creatures in the Underground were reinforcing the jail which keeps the whispers sealed in between the worlds." He saw the upset on her face and stepped back. "I should not have returned. I will leave. Good-"

She lashed out, hitting him, sobs torn from her throat. He didn't attempt to avoid her strikes. "You stupid jerk! Couldn't you have...waited...until...didn't you think...I needed...you..." Slowly her fists slowed to a stop and her knees gave out. She felt his hands beneath her elbows, gently providing support.

"I'm sorry." After a moment, he drew her to his chest, his arms embracing her gently. One leather clad hand gently stroked her hair again and again, and his words switched to ones that she couldn't understand, words in another language. The words were soothing, caused her to relax slowly against him, caused her tears to slow and finally stop.

Sarah wrapped her arms tightly around him, pressing her face into his chest. "Why...why did Sam..."

She heard the Goblin King sigh softly and he rested his cheek against her hair before he spoke. "Because he had been to the Underground before," he explained softly. She drew back, looking up at him in confusion. Jareth gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her towards the grave. "Once upon a time, there was a boy who was always second to the younger son. The younger boy wasn't smarter, wasn't better looking, however, he was favored still. One night, the older son, angry at being constantly scorned by his father wished away his younger sibling to the goblins. Horrified by what he had done, the boy attempted to run the Labyrinth, however he became hopelessly lost and failed to rescue his sibling in time. He came closer than most. He was an arms reach from the castle doors when the clock struck thirteen."

Sarah stared up at him in horrified fascination.

Jareth looked towards her, his face serious. "It is customary, that when a child completes their run, their memory is modified. I removed his memory of running the Labyrinth, as well as his memory of the younger boy. He did not know he once had a brother and I never told him. It would have only hurt him later."

She turned his words over and over in her mind and the first thing that she realized was that he hadn't done that to her. "You...didn't modify my memory..."

He shook his head. "I didn't. After all, the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl..." He stopped before the grave, looking down at the pile of roses with the one lily atop them.

"But wait, he couldn't see you-"

He smiled sadly at her. "No, he couldn't. The fact is, Sarah, that even if one is touched, if they don't believe, they wont see me. If your believe had ever waned, you would not have been able to see me either."

Sarah gripped the cuff of his coat, turning to look up at him. "Jareth...I didn't want to think about this when everything else was going on...but what happens now?"

He turned to face her. His eyes were gentle, smiling faintly. "You needn't worry. I cannot whisk you off to my castle just yet. You are still needed here, and I..." he paused, getting a far off look in his eyes. "I will not take you from where you are needed. However, Sam made a request of me before he passed. He told me to take care of you. I fully intend to do just that."

"But you've got responsibilities of your own-"

"They can wait. I have put a young king with quite the mischievous streak in my seat for a temporary basis. I intend to remain at your side if you will have me."

Sarah covered her mouth with one hand and tears welled in her eyes. With a soft sob, she threw her arms around his neck. His arms enfolded her as well and she felt his lips against her temple.

"I am what I am, Sarah. That cannot be changed. Eventually, the Underground with need the rightful Goblin King once more. Hopefully by then you will have finished your duties to this realm and will be ready to join me."

"I love you, you jerk..." Sarah whispered against the side of his neck.

She could feel those lips curl into a smile. "I love you, Precious."

There was the sound of shoes on damp grass and they broke the embrace to find Toby moving towards her, his lips in a deep frown. Toby kept his hands in his pockets as he looked up into the face of the Goblin King. Jareth inclined his head and the tension in the air grew thick and heavy. Finally, Toby spoke. "If anything ever happens to my sister, I'm going to hunt your skinny ass down and kick the shit out of it."

Jareth chuckled softly, moving around so that his other arm was around the boy's shoulder. "Toby, considering you are the brother of Sarah Williams, I would be horribly disappointed if you didn't"

After a long moment, they began to move away from the grave and as Jareth helped Sarah into the passenger side of the car, he looked back at the grave and into the dark blue eyes of Sam Samuels. The ghost stood nearby, leaning against a tree, looking mildly satisfied with himself. Once both doors were closed, he moved away from the car, standing beside the ghost. "She can't see you."

"She's not of the faery realms yet," Sam agreed softly. "I had a brother?"

"You did." Jareth glanced towards the ghost. "His name was Michael. He was adopted by one of the childless families in the Underground."

After a long moment, the ghost turned towards him. "You will truly stay with her? As long as she lives?"

Jareth inclined his head. "I wouldn't lie to her...Perhaps to you..." He gave a wild grin, then moved towards the car once more. "But never to her."

Sam nodded. "By the way, there's been sightings of a strange creature in this realm. They call it a gaki."

Jareth sighed softly, opening the car door. He would look into it. But not right now. Right now, he was going to settle into this new life with his lady, and he was going to try his damnedest to build her a happily ever after in her own world. Until the faery realms called him back to his.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_AN: The end, for now anyways. Yes, I'm planning a sequel. You didn't think that when Jareth came back into this realm, the story was over, did you? Pft. XD Anyways, thanks for sticking with the story for this long, and naturally I'll get into the loose ends in the next one. So, keep an eye out for more supernatural baddies, and more horror._


End file.
